


The Angel Project

by Semerra



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alpha Lance (Voltron), Alpha Shiro (Voltron), Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Beta Hunk (Voltron), Beta Pidge | Katie Holt, Established Adam/Shiro/Curtis (Voltron), Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, I Will Go Down With This Ship, Keith/Lance (Voltron) Fluff, M/M, Mild Language, Omega Keith (Voltron), Omega Verse, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Tags May Change, Touch-Starved Keith (Voltron), just not for a hot minute, klance, klance fluff, there is gonna be smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-30
Updated: 2020-01-26
Packaged: 2020-07-27 01:48:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 27,254
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20037901
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Semerra/pseuds/Semerra
Summary: *Title may change*Keith is an Omega who doesn't really hide the fact that he is, but doesn't broadcast it either. In fact, he just wants to get through life as simple as possible. But when another Alpha tries to take advantage of him while at the pharmacy, he is forced to call upon the stores special offer, The Angel Project.Enter Lance, an Alpha who literally got thrown into the mix but doesn't really mind the outcome of it all.





	1. Ocean Air

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This is my first work on this site, and this honestly a test run. If a few people enjoy the first part of the story, I'll happily begin regular updates! 
> 
> As for warnings, this story does have A/B/O dynamics. If that's not your thing, I kinda don't know why you clicked on the story in the first place since it very clearly says it in the tags. Second, this story (if continued) will eventually be changed to a mature or explicit rating. Just a fair warning for those who don't enjoy those types of stories. However for now the worst it contains is some language. 
> 
> Anyways, lemme know what you all think! <3

The pharmacy line was long today.  
  
Of course it would be long, it was five-thirty on a Thursday. Everyone and their mother were trying to pick up their prescriptions before the weekend, and the line was currently six people deep and didn’t seem to be moving along any time soon. Generic music quietly filled the aisles, filling the store with enough white noise to drown out the pharmacist talking to her current patient.  
  
Didn’t make the wait any less agonizing though.  
  
I lightly tapped my foot against the grungy linoleum floor to try and still the nerves. Unconsciously, my fingers began to drum softy against crossed arms, and I felt my lips gently pull into a small scowl, eyes scanning the multiple people in front of me. The light buzzing under my skin was enough to set me on edge, making this normally decent wait seem unbearable. It was slowly creeping up my spine; my ears burning under the thick hair on top of my head.  
  
If this line didn’t move soon, I’m seriously going to jump the counter and grab my stuff myself.  
  
The thought was tempting, but I can’t afford to draw any kind of attention to myself right now in this condition. Any kind of attention right now was bad attention.  
I peered over the woman in front of me’s head, eyeing the older woman who was currently at the counter holding up the line. She had a younger girl with her, maybe fifteen, and the girl looked extremely uncomfortable judging by her red face and small shuffle every now and then. I eyed her slightly and then shifted my attention to the woman she was with, and even with the woman facing away from me, I could tell she was enraged; if the hunched shoulder and wild hand movements weren’t a dead giveaway, the slow increase in her volume was.  
  
“What do you mean I can’t get my daughter on suppressants? She’s obviously presenting, and she needs to get them!” The woman was pretty much steaming at this point and has already drawn most of the store’s attention toward the pharmacy counter. The daughter visibly shrank after her mother’s outburst, tucking her chin deep into the baggy hoody she was currently wearing and attempting to block out all the stares her and her mother were currently getting. Behind the counter the pharmacist gave the girl a sympathizing look before turning to the mother, “Ma’am, as I have explained to you many times. I cannot put your daughter on suppressants with just your word. You need to bring me a doctor’s orders and official paperwork from the Department of Dynamics, naming your daughter as an Omega.”  
  
“I don’t need any paperwork! My daughter is obviously presenting as an Omega and she needs to be on some sort of suppressants!” The woman slammed her first down on the counter, making her daughter and others around her jump at the loud noise, “Now are you going to get me my shit or do I need to come over this counter and get it myself?”  
  
This lady was off – everyone knows that to get certain items and medication in this world requires certain items and documentation (as fucked up as that is). The pharmacist only gave the woman a very unamused and down right bored look, “Ma’am, I am going to have to ask you to leave. Come back with the correct paperwork and I will be happy to start your daughter on the correct medication for her. But until then, PLEASE LEAVE.”  
  
I couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped me when the woman let out an almost animal like shriek, the buzzing under my skin subsiding for a moment of clarity – bless this employee and her ability to keep a straight face. Unfortunately for me though, I brought attention to myself. The woman must have heard me over the ringing that must be in her ears because she quickly turned around and locked her eyes on me, her face turning a shade of purple that no living person should ever be. She turned around and stomped away from the counter (more accurately waddled judging by the strange arch of her back) with her daughter following behind after giving the pharmacist an apologetic nod. Others who had been behind the woman moved out of her path, not wanting her to go off on them as well for whatever reason she could think of; when she reached my side however she stopped and glared at me with so much venom in her gaze that it was palpable in the air, “You need to learn to mind your own fucking business. You hear me? Fucking trash.”  
  
Well then.  
  
Normally in this type of situation, I would roll my eyes and ignore the woman because she is definitely not worth the time nor the extra energy it would take to argue with her, but with the sudden return of the buzzing under my skin, anger and annoyance swirled in my brain. I set my gaze on her and narrowed my eyes, equally matching her hate and looming over her. Was this lady serious right now? “I’ll learn to mind my own fucking business when you learn not to broadcast yours across the whole store. You know? And learn your facts before your go somewhere and demand stuff.”  
  
She puffed up, her shoulders pressed up almost to her ears as she was probably going to try and argue with me again for whatever reason, but a small hand on her arms pulled both our attentions away from each other and to her daughter. “He’s right mother. Let it go.”  
  
The woman’s eyebrows disappeared under her bangs before settling in pure rage once again, glaring daggers at her own child, “Don’t you ever talk to me like that. EVER.” She stressed that last word as her lips pulled into a snarl before returning her attention to me for a moment, scanning me up and down one last time and closing her eyes, taking her daughter by the wrist and talking in sharp words, “Come on Alice, let’s leave before anymore of this piece of trashes qualities rub off on you.” And with that, she pulled her daughter away and out of the store – the moment her foot hit the outside pavement she began verbally unloading on the child, the only things I am able to make out before the automatic doors closed were something about their doctor being wrong and how she’ll be damned if she had a Beta for a daughter.  
  
When she was out of sight, I closed my eyes and let out a long sigh, trying to calm my racing heart from the rush of adrenaline when the woman first spoke. If only she knew how lucky she is to have a non-Omega child; the burden and stress it can cause. I turned my attention back to the line in front of me to notice that the next two people had already gotten what they needed and were leaving, only leaving two others in front of me before I can get my meds and go home. I wanted nothing more than to get out of general public and sleep for the next week. Two more people before that can happen. Unfortunately, my little spat with the woman drew attention to the pharmacy line, more specifically myself. I could feel multiple eyes still on me, scanning my figure to almost test if their natural dynamic instincts were correct. The buzzing had calmed down slightly, but it was slowly making its way back up my spine. I felt the air shift suddenly as one of them moved closer, and under guise of stretching my shoulder, I looked over and saw the man that had moved – he was large, maybe mid-30’s and was standing in front of the toothpaste section, occasionally looking in my direction. He must have noticed the flare when I was arguing with the woman and was attempting to test more of his dynamic. The air shifted once again as the man rounded the front of the aisle, bringing him only three feet from me. Something wasn’t right with him, and when a rush of what I can only describe as heat washed over me it became prevalent what was going on. He was testing me- testing what my reaction would be. I knew it – I knew this would happen if I drew attention to myself.  
  
This man was an Alpha. And he knew exactly what I was.  
  
My head was spinning and the buzzing graduated to almost pin pricks across my skin that I wanted nothing more than to scratch at, but it would only confirm to this guy more of what he was doing to me. Every breath made my head heavier and clouded my mind even more; everything was moving in slow motion. Then I felt one more shift around me then all I felt was heat behind me. He moved three feet and was now in the line, appearing to anyone to be simply getting in line for the pharmacy but I knew he had no true reason to be there. The scent that was rolling off him was like fire – the smell going into my lungs like smoke and making it harder and harder to breath. The person who had been at the counter finally finished and the guy in front of me stepped up to conduct his own business. I took the opportunity to take a larger than normal step to put distance between us in an attempt to try and clear some of the fog from my head, but he took his own step forward and with his much longer legs it put him almost touching me; I could even feel what was like the ghost of finger tips on my arm. What the actual fuck is this guy’s issue?  
  
As if the Gods who existed sensed my internal struggle, the man at the counter thanked the employee and turned to leave, not even aware of anything going on behind him. I held my breath as I walked forward to keep a somewhat clear mind, and thankfully put five feet between myself and the other. The pharmacist raised her eyebrow at my disheveled state; flushed face and white-knuckle grip on the counter, “Can…Can I help you sir?”  
  
I looked up at her with hooded eyes, trying to take deep breaths and steady my shaking knees. The distance between the man and I was helping to clear my mind with every breath I took of scent clear air, my mouth was still heavy, and the words were hard to form, “I…medicine…I need – I have med…” The words were broken and breathy; I shook my head slightly in frustration. The employee only raised an eyebrow and cocked her head slightly, “Are you alright sir?”  
  
Once again I took a deep breath and looked up at the woman almost pleadingly, focusing on my words and making them as quiet as I could, “I have meds…L-Last name is Kogane.” I leaned in slightly and made my voice barely even a whisper to make sure the man couldn’t hear, “…And I need to use your phone to call my friend Angel.”  
  
Understanding flooded into the woman’s eyes as she stood up straight, looking me over and finally nodding, “Okay, one moment while I grab your prescription.” She walked back to the medication rack and plucked through the bags and hanging papers, finally finding what she was looking for and grabbing it from the hanger. She walked back to the counter and set a small box attached to some papers down on the surface, placing another small paper right next to it. She reached over and grabbed a pen, holding it out to me, “Okay, if you’ll just validate your address on this paper, we can get your all squared away with your new prescription.”  
  
Looking down at the paper it only had three boxes with simple sentences next to each one. The first simply read, “I do not feel safe in this location. No escort. Just visual.” The second, “I do not feel safe in this location. Escort needed.” And the third, “OMEGA ONLY: I am an Omega currently not on suppressants and there is an immediate risk to my safety around me.” Underneath the last option was a line to “validate your address”. I hastily checked the third box and as legibly as possible wrote, “ALPHA. BEHIND. SCENT.” on the line underneath and slid it back to the woman. She picked up the paper, nodding quickly and folding it in half and taking a half step back, “Alright give me a moment and I will grab your new medication.”  
  
She stepped back to the rack, stooping down to the bottom row and spreading two sections in half. I stood there in the silence, trying to clear my head. The small amount of distance between us was enough for his pheromones to weaken his effect on me slightly, but if he moves even a small bit closer, he’ll take control over me again for sure. My grip was still tight on the counter as I watched the woman, unable to tell exactly what she was doing, but knowing that whatever it was, it would help. There was a reason a lot of Omegas chose this chain of pharmacy, and this was exactly it. If an Omega ever felt like they were in danger or were being scented against their will by an Alpha (like I was now), all they had to do was find a store employee and ask to use their phone to call a friend named Angel, and the employee would know what to do. It’s pretty much common knowledge that they have the program but since they’re so discreet about it, no one can ever really tell when it’s happening. It’s probably saved a lot of Omegas and the company has been praised multiple times.  
< br /> The pharmacist stood back up with another small bag and returned back to the counter, setting it down and sliding it toward me again, “Alright sir, this should be it. The new medication is in the bag, take it once a day with water and let it work its magic. Is there anything else I can do for you today?”  
  
I shook my head and gave her a weak smile, “N-no…I think I should be goo—”  
  
“Hey babe, did you get everything you needed? I already checked out so we should be good to go!” a male voice cut me off and I looked to my left only to see a tall, tan man with a messy head of chocolate brown hair and eyes literally the color of sapphires slide up next to me. I couldn’t stop my eyes from widening at the sight of him; the Alpha pheromones rolling off his skin were nothing like the prick behind me – they smelled of the ocean and something I could only describe as clean, crisp air. And unlike the other guy, this Alpha wasn’t scenting me, but releasing just enough to ward off any other Alpha that might be around. He wasn’t making me dizzy or weak in the knees on purpose, but I felt like the air had been pulled from my lungs by how handsome he was. Good lord, it had to have been a crime to have eyes that fucking blue.  
  
“You okay? You don’t look so good babe. Let’s get you home so you can crash, okay?”  
  
His voice broke me out of my daze and I looked between him and the pharmacist, who only looked at me and made a small gesture to the bag she had just given me. I looked down at it quickly and noticed the small angel emblem stamped on the bag with the name “LANCE” written in swirly letters underneath it.  
  
OH. Now I understand.  
  
I looked back at the tan male and gave him a small smile, “I’m fine, just a little tired is all. L-Lets go.” He smiles back and placed a hand lightly on my arm, the slight touch sending another shot of heat up my spine. As we turned, I finally was able to look directly at the man who had been behind me the entire time. He was a greasy looking man who once I turned around, let out a small growl when he noticed the presence of a new Alpha. The tan male, or Lance, just raised an eyebrow at the man and moved so his arm was around my shoulders, the slight differences in our height making us fit together like puzzle pieces and began to walk us away from the counter and toward the door. As we passed the other man, he followed me with his eyes, making one last attempt to overpower my senses with his dynamic, but unfortunately for him, Lances own scent drowned his out and he was completely left unfulfilled. When we reached the door, I heard the pharmacist speak up, “Sir, do you need to pick up a prescription or are you just gonna stand there?”  
  
Again, bless this woman.  
  
When we made it through the doors, Lance looked down at me and quietly asked, “Which car is yours?” I blinked and pulled my medicine closer to my chest.  
  
“It’s the red bike over there.”  
  
Lance followed my gaze to where my motorcycle was currently parked, a small look of surprise coming across his features, followed by a small laugh, “Wow, didn’t peg you for the bike kinda type.”  
  
I didn’t know if I should be offended or flattered, so instead I just rolled my eyes and grabbed the keys from my pocket to unlock the small compartment under the seat, “Yup. Like to feel the wind in my hair and all that stuff.”  
  
Lance let out a loud laugh and removed his arm from around my shoulder as we approached the bike, the spot aching for the return of the warmth almost the instant it was gone. “I guess I know what you mean, heh.” He put all his weight to one side as he watched me unlock the compartment, “So what was the guys deal in there? Did you know him?”  
My hands stilled for a moment before I shook my head, “Nope. One moment I’m just standing in line waiting, the next some lady is arguing with me and calling me trash, and the next this prick is behind me trying to scent me. You’d think he’d at least try and ask me to dinner first or something. Ass hat.”  
  
Lance only nodded and looked away back at the store, “Yeah, I was there visiting my sister who works here and the next thing I know, she’s asking me to help them out with an angel emergency. At first, I was super confused but when she explained it to me, I figured I would help. The guy they usually have to do it was out sick today I guess.”  
  
My head snapped to look at him, eyes wide and mouth open, “You don’t even work here? And they let you do it?”  
  
He looked at me from the corner of his eye, “I come around here enough that they know they can trust me.”  
  
I felt my mouth close and my brows relax. I suppose it makes sense if his sister works there that they would know him. Closing the seat, I took my helmet off the back of the bike, holding it in my hands awkwardly before looking up to meet his gaze, “Well, I suppose I should thank you. I don’t know what would have happened if you hadn’t have been there since the normal guy wasn’t.”  
  
He looked at me and gave me a blinding smile, “Good thing I was here, and that’s all the matters! Now, you should probably go before Billy Bob in there comes out to try and look for you.”  
  
“What are you gonna do? You can’t go back in the front or he might see you come back in without me.”  
  
Lance opened his eyes and pursed his lips, tapping his chin to look deep in thought, “Hmm…well. There is always the back entrance. I can sneak around to go in that way since it takes me right to the break room. That’s gonna have to work!”  
  
I couldn’t help the small smile that came over my face; this guy’s optimism was slightly contagious. Swinging my leg over the bike, I started the engine and looked at the other male one more time, “Thank you again Lance. I really appreciate it.”  
  
He smiled at me and took a small step back, “It’s my pleasure…” He drew out the last part of the word almost questioningly and I gave a small chuckle.  
  
“Keith. My name is Keith.”  
  
“Well then, it’s nice to meet you Keith. I’m Lance, but you already knew that. Now go before anyone tries to kidnap you again.” I rolled my eyes once again, and pulled the helmet over my head, revving the bike. Looking up one more time, I saw Lance walking toward the back of the store, halfway across the parking lot already. Seriously, even the way he walked was attractive. Now that I was alone, I finally took notice that the buzzing under my skin had all but disappeared, temporarily calmed by the presence of a non-threatening Alpha. Pulling out of the parking spot and away from the building, I couldn’t stop the flashes of blue that kept running through my mind, and the memory of warm skin across my shoulders and the smell of clean ocean air. Driving through the small city streets toward my apartment, I couldn’t help be feel disappointed that I would probably never see Lance again, unless he was there as well the next time I needed my refill. But those chances where statistically low, and knowing my luck, I would probably run into the gross man again before even the possibility of seeing Lance again would happen. But hey, an Omega can dream right?


	2. Rose and Sandalwood

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pretty much the first chapter again, but from Lances POV.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted you all to have not only Keith's mussy thoughts about Lance, but our sweet sharp shooters as well about Keith. After this chapter however, I will start getting into the bones of this story, HOPEFULLY keeping you all interested and loving it <3 As always lemme know what you all think!
> 
> ALSO, I'm going to try and update this piece about once a week, if not once every few days. Unfortunately, ya girls gotta make that bread to pay rent and buy unnecessary knick-knacks. So if it goes a little over a week without update, please don't bite my head off. But other than that, please enjoy!

_FOOL WHERE R U AT? I’M HUNGRY  
_From: Veronica 5:12PM

Scoffing slightly, I locked my phone and made my way through the front doors of the pharmacy, waving slightly at Lola who was behind the pharmacy counter when she looked up to see who had entered the store. She gave me smile before returning her attention back to her current customer – a middle aged woman and what was possibly her daughter.

My sister had worked part time at this place for about 7 months, and every now and then when I had a break from my classes, I would get some coffee and food from the café a few doors down to bring to her, knowing she not only loved the caffeine, but it also added tons of checks in “Veronica Owes Lance” tally. And it didn’t help that the manger of this specific branch absolutely loved me, almost treating me like her own child and giving me access to areas of the store normally meant for employees only, much to Veronicas dishevelment. Making my way down an aisle toward the back of the store, a small ‘ding’ rang out through the space, signaling another person had entered the pharmacy, bringing with them the warm late spring air and a trace of something almost sweet smelling – or it may have been the doughnut in the bag I was carrying. But that was beside the point.

There was a small hallway in the back that lead to the bathrooms, and at the end of the hall there was a wooden door marked “EMPLOYEES ONLY” but I was a rebellious rule breaker and pushed the door open with my free hand, entering into the break room and locking eyes with my sister who had her arms crossed staring at the door, seemingly waiting for me to walk into the room, “You’re late, _perdedor_.”

Rolling my eyes I set down the paper bag and the coffee, giving her a mock annoyed look and shrugging my shoulders, “My professor wanted to talk to me about my paper, so I was late getting out of class. And besides, Lola won’t care if you take a little bit of a longer break, especially if she knew you were with me. Cause you know, your boss loves me and all.”

She just continued to stare me down, eyes an identical blue to my own peeking over thin framed glasses, and after a moment of the most intense staring match on the planet, a small smile came across her features, “Did your professor finally offer you the internship?”

She reached across the table to grab the bag, pulling out a chocolate doughnut and grabbing the larger coffee from the drink holder. I pulled a chair out and sat, pulling my own coffee toward me and letting out a sigh, “No…he said that the most recent paper I turned in was a down grade from my usual work and he wanted to see improvement before he offered anything to me. I mean, what can you expect! I missed half the course when we had to go to Cuba for Abuela and he refused to give me the class notes when I got back. Figures the one class I have without Hunk is the class I end up needing the notes for. Uggghh…” I stretched my legs out in front of me and tipped my head back to look at the ceiling tiles, “Why is life so unfair.”

Veronica took a sip of her coffee and waved a hand in my direction, “Don’t be such a drama queen. You know that you have the highest marks in that class and that he would be stupid not to offer it to you in the end, right? Did he give you a choice to redo the paper?”

“No…I mean I got a C on it, so I guess it’s not the end of the world. It just sucks because I know if I would have had the notes, I would have gotten a better score.”

She nodded and took a bite of the doughnut, “It was something you couldn’t control. We had to go to Cuba for a family emergency, and if the professor isn’t gonna help you out, then just prove to him that you can do it without the notes. Study online or something; or ask Hunk anyways! Didn’t he take that class last year?”

My eyes widened, and my head snapped up to look at her, “HE DID. That traitor had the notes the entire time and didn’t help me out! Some best friend he is, I’m gonna text him and give him a stern talking to.” I pulled my phone from my pocket and furiously typed out a message to my “BEST FRIEND” –

_HUNK. YOU TOOK IVERSONS PYHSICS THEORY COURSE LAST YEAR DIDN’T YOU  
_From: Lance 5:19PM

I set my phone down on the table, waiting for Hunk to reply. Veronica chuckled from across the table and took another sip from her coffee, “You don’t know if he still has the notes Lance. Or Iverson may have changed the course. Don’t yell at him to much now.” I felt my face scrunch up, eyeing my phone and cursing the unread message still on the screen, “He betrayed me, Veronica. He knew I was struggling, and he let me suffer. I’m hurt.”

“Lance. Again. Don’t be a drama queen.”

“Pft, I’m not a drama queen, Veronica. I’m a big, strong, amazing Alpha, says so on my D.O.D paperwork.”

Veronica rolled her eyes and leaned forward on the table, “That is something I will never understand. How did you – who was the most gangly child and cried when mom took his nail polish away – turn out to be an Alpha? I mean maybe a Beta, but I would have put money on Omega with how you acted. Louis isn’t even an Alpha. What the hell is up with that?”

I shrugged and gave her a grin, bringing my coffee up to my lips and taking a drink, “It’s called being gifted my dear sister. We all cant be born Alpha.” She groaned and put her head in her hand, shaking it slightly and mumbling to into palm, “I can’t believe you’re the dynamic responsible for repopulation. Gods save the world when it happens and bless whatever Omega you end up with. They’re gonna have to be the most patient, kindhearted, understanding person to deal with your melodramatic ass.”

I was about to retort to her insult when my phone vibrated, lighting up with a text message preview from Hunk. I scrambled to grab the phone and quickly unlocked the screen.

_Bro, you know I did lol. You asked me for my notes from last year and I put them in your room like a week ago. Did you forget already?  
_From: Hunk 5:31PM'

I blink at the screen and thought back to the day I had to leave for Cuba. I called Hunk to explain the situation, he freaked out and told me he would bake cookies…and he told me he would give me the notes. We literally had a fifteen-minute conversation about the course and what I would miss. I quietly locked my phone and set it down, staring intently at the wooden pattern, mentally tearing myself apart for not remembering any of this until right now. I have had the notes the entire time, and I completely forgot. Veronica must have noticed the change in my attitude, because the next thing I knew, a piece of doughnut hit me in the forehead and snapped me out of my daze. I looked at her and blinked, “What?”

She raised an eyebrow at me and smirked, “Hunk texted you back and told you he had already given you the notes hadn’t he?”

“…I don’t wanna talk about it”

“HA! I knew it!” Veronica threw her head back and let out a loud laugh, holding on to her stomach as she continued to laugh at my torment. I looked away from her and let my lip jut out in a slight pout. “Okay, low key rude.”

She resumed her normal stature and wiped underneath her eye, a small giggle escaping her every few seconds, “I’m sorry, Lance. But you make it to easy sometimes.” A sudden buzz took both of our attentions from each other and to Veronica's cell phone that had been sitting on the table. She raised an eyebrow and took her phone in her hand, unlocking the screen and letting her eyes scan the words on the screen. Her eyebrows settled in what I could only describe as deep concern, and she quickly typed something back before locking her phone again and setting it aside, her eyes focused on the stop where her phone was just a moment ago. Something wasn’t right – Veronica never looked like that. “Is everything okay?”

She glanced up at me for a second, then back to her phone, and then back to me, “No. Somethings wrong in the store. And the usual fix that we have for it isn’t here.”

I raised an eyebrow, “…what do you mean?”

Her phone buzzed again and she picked it up much quicker this time, scanning the words and quietly cursing to herself, but an instant later her eyes flashed up to me and she jumped up from her seat, pointing at me with her free hand, “Lance! You’re an Alpha!”

I jumped a tad and blinked, “Yeess...? And your point being?”

She sat back down, leaning forward and looking me dead in the eye, “Okay I have to make this quick so please listen. We have a program here called the Angel Project. When someone doesn’t feel safe, they can tell an employee that they wanna call their friend Angel, and depending on the situation, the employee takes whatever action is necessary. Nod if you understand.”

I raised my eyebrows and nodded slightly. Veronica had never looked this serious before.

She sighed and nodded, “Good. Well, we have a situation going on right now that is one of our more sensitive situations. There is an Omega that is not on suppressants and is showing the beginning signs of being in heat. And not only that, but there is an Alpha near them that is scenting them without their consent. Normally we have an Alpha that works in the back room that goes and pretends to be the Omegas partner to get them away. But unfortunately, his_ real_ partner just had their child so he’s taking the week off. And we don’t have another Alpha that’s on shift today so…” she trailed off and looked at me, pleading silently.

I crossed my arms and looked at her, taking in all the information and letting it run through my brain, “So you’re asking me…go out there, and pretend to be an Omegas partner. But this Omega is also being targeted by another Alpha that I have to have a theoretical pissing match with?” All Veronica could do was nod. I pursed my lips and thought about the situation. On the one hand, I have no idea what is other Alpha looked like and if there was a possibility of me getting my ass beat. And on the other, my Alpha instincts were set on high at the thought of an Omega in trouble, especially one that’s being scented against their will. Any Alpha would hear that, and it would set their blood boiling. The more I thought about it, the more it began to piss me off and made me want to do something about it. I looked at my sister and nodded slightly, “Yeah, I’ll do it. Just tell me who it is.”

Veronica's eyes widened and she grabbed her phone, typing a quick message and then locking eyes with me, “Lance, you don’t know how much this means to us. Or to this Omega. But I will get into that later. You need to go out there because it’s been long enough. The Omega is standing at the pharmacy counter and the Alpha that is targeting them is standing right behind them in line. Just go out there, flex your scent a little bit and get the Omega out. But remember, the Omega was showing early signs of heat so be careful with the pheromones.”

I stood up and nodded, gathering my coffee and stepping toward the door. I turned to look at my sister, who just smiled and motioned to the exit. Stepping out into the hallway, it was obvious something had changed. There was a thick scent of something I could only describe as smoke, but underneath was something else. A rich scent that had a fresh, sweet undertone, and was obviously coming from the Omega. To be honest it hit me like a brick wall - but looking around it didn’t seem to be bothering anyone else, so that was definitely odd. Walking out of the hallway gave me a partial view of the pharmacy line, but already I could see the Alpha in question. He was a big dude, not only tall but rather large in stature as well, in his thirties from where I could see, but the smoky pheromones rolling off his skin made it undeniable. I moved closer slowly, trying not to bring much attention to myself as I initially made my way toward them, and about halfway down the aisle, the scent of the Omega hit me like a ton of bricks making me stop in my tracks.

They smelled like roses.

Fresh roses and something rich. It reminded me of something in my childhood – when my parents would go out for their monthly dates and my father would put on this fancy cologne my mother bought him for their anniversary. The smell brought me back to those memories and the happiness I felt when I would see my parents so in love. I think my dad told me it was called sandalwood or something.

Roses and sandalwood.

The scent was incredible, but I had to shake my head and continue forward; my sisters warning about the Omega being in heat echoing in my head. Moving out of the aisle, the Omega finally came into view and I almost stopped again, because in front of me was the most beautiful male I had ever seen. My body was on auto pilot now; my brain was half a second behind as I walked up to the counter and tried my best to remain calm. I took a breath through my mouth and finally let some of my Alpha pheromones loose, taking caution not to let them effect the beautiful man next to me.

“Hey babe, did you get everything you needed? I already checked out so we should be good to go!” I must have surprised him because he jumped slightly and looked up at me with wide, slightly clouded violet eyes surrounded by full lashes; flushed cheeks and the white-knuckle grip on the counter were enough to tell that this man was under an Alphas influence. I needed to get him out of here and away from all this, and I needed to do it quickly, “You okay? You don’t look so good babe. Let’s get you home so you can crash, okay?”

He blinked rapidly and I could see his eyes quickly scan my face before looking back at Lola and glanced down when she motioned toward the bag that had been on the counter. The paper bag had a small angel emblem with my name written in neat writing, and it must have clicked with this man what it meant, and he knew what I was there to do. He glanced up at me, blinking once and when his eyes opened, they seemed brighter, almost the color of amethyst.

“I’m fine, just a little tired is all. L-Lets go.” He smiled and I couldn’t help the sudden rush of pheromones that escaped me, my instincts flaring up and making me want to do to nothing but protect and love this person. I hastily reached up and touched his arm, sending small sparks of heat across my fingertips. We both turned away from the counter, finally coming face to face with the other Alpha. His eyebrows furrowed and he let out a clear growl in my direction, but in all honesty he was the least intimidating thing to me right now. Raising an eyebrow, I moved my arm to wrap around the Omegas shoulders, pulling him slightly closer to my side and reveling in the warmth that it brought. The other man sent a rush of pheromones, giving one last attempt to try and gain control back, but it was too late. We walked away from the counter and as we neared the door, I heard Lola cough and ask the man, , “Sir, do you need to pick up a prescription or are you just gonna stand there?” and the man sputtered in response. There was a reason I loved that woman.

As we exited the building I took a long inhale, loving the fresh air and how it distinctly lacked the smell of smoke. But the slowly depleting scent of roses reminded me I still had a beautiful person under my arm. Looking down at him, I saw him clutching the medicine he had gotten close to his chest and looking directly in front of him. His face was pale and his dark hair made him look like he was glowing, and holy shit this man was fucking ethereal. We stopped at the start of the parking lot and I looked around, “Which car is yours?”

He blinked and looked to the right of the parking lot, motioning slightly with his head and pulling his items closer, “It’s the red bike over there.”

I followed his gaze to where a candy apple red bike was currently parked, and I couldn’t help the small laugh that escaped me, “Wow, didn’t peg you for the bike kinda type.”

He looked up at me and pouted almost, eyes rolling slightly and a small quirk ghosting at the corner of his lips, pushing his hand into his hoodie pocket and pulling out a set of keys, “Yup. Like to feel the wind in my hair and all that stuff."

Wait, did he just make a joke?

I let out a laugh and made the mistake of removing my arm from around his shoulders to cover my mouth, attempting to keep the laugh more around us then bring attention to us. When I composed myself, I immediately kicked myself in the butt for taking my arm away from him. “I guess I know what you mean, heh.” We made it to his bike and I watched him unlock a storage space underneath the seat, and not knowing what to do with myself, I leaned to one side and watched him more, “So what was the guys deal in there? Did you know him?”

His hands stilled for moment before he shook his head, dark bangs swooshing slightly, “Nope. One moment I’m just standing in line waiting, the next some lady is arguing with me and calling me trash, and the next this prick is behind me trying to scent me. You’d think he’d at least try and ask me to dinner first or something. Ass hat.”

Someone called him trash? What the fuck, I guess people can’t recognize beauty when they see it. I nodded slightly and glanced back at the pharmacy, "Yeah, I was there visiting my sister who works here and the next thing I know, she’s asking me to help them out with an angel emergency. At first, I was super confused but when she explained it to me, I figured I would help. The guy they usually have to do it was out today I guess.”

He closed the compartment and looked at me, his eyes wide and a confused look plastered across his features, “You don’t work here? And they let you do it?”

I shrugged slightly and gave him a small smile, “I come around here enough that they know they can trust me.”

He blinked and I saw his face relax slightly. He looked down at his bike and went to unhook the helmet from the back, rubbing the black surface with his thumbs and biting his lip slightly, “Well, I suppose I should thank you. I don’t know what would have happened if you hadn’t have been there since the normal guy wasn’t.”

I looked at him and I couldn’t control the rush of happiness that flooded my system. My inner Alpha was crooning over this man, and I knew right then and there that somehow, this meeting wasn’t an accident, “Good thing I was here, and that’s all the matters! Now, you should probably go before Billy Bob in there comes out to try and look for you.”

As much as I didn’t want him to go, I knew it was for the best.

“What are you gonna do? You can’t go back in the front or he might see you come back in without me.”

My smile fell for a second and I pursed my lips, taking in what he said and tapping my chin, “Hmm…well. There is always the back entrance. I can sneak around to go in that way since it takes me right to the break room. That’s gonna have to work!” And it was true. We hadn’t seen the other Alpha come out of the store, and if he saw me without him, shit may hit the fan and I don’t want to even risk putting him through that.

He smiled slightly and a small laugh came from his chest, sending small shivers across my body. He swung his leg over the bike and started the engine, holding the helmet over his head before pausing and lowering it again, turning his head and giving me a shy smile, “Thank you again Lance. I really appreciate it.”

The way he said my name sent my head over cloud nine, and I couldn’t hold back the dorky smile I knew I had when I was overly happy. I put my hands in my jacket pockets and took a small step back, cocking my head to the side and looking directly at the Omega, realizing that I didn’t even know his name, “It’s my pleasure…"

“Keith. My name is Keith.”

“Well then, it’s nice to meet you Keith. I’m Lance, but you already knew that. Now go before anyone tries to kidnap you again.”

He smiled and shook his head, put the helmet on and revving his bike. I took the moment to just look at him; momentary distraction was a blessing at this point. He was an Omega, that much is sure. But he was so far from the small, delicate Omegas that I was used to seeing- The ones who wanted an Alpha to dote on them and tried so hard to attract the other dynamic, even if it was just for a moment of comfort and not for life. He looked almost rugged with his baggy sweatshirt and dark skinny jeans, and the bike definitely didn’t help. If it hadn’t of been for the scent he was giving off earlier, I would have guessed the D.O.D misrepresented him, and he was actually an Alpha or something. But scents don’t lie, and he was most definitely an Omega. I turned around quickly when he was still looking down, figuring I had overstayed my welcome and started my way to the side ally of the store where I could get back into the break room. I heard the sound of his bike revving again, and then the sound faded as Keith pulled away from the store and onto the street. Stopping at the mouth of the ally, I turned and looked at where his bike had been parked, picturing him again when he gave me that shy smile as he said my name. I let out a small chuckle to myself and looked toward the ground,

_Lance, you got it bad already dude._

I walked up to the door I knew lead to the break room and pulled out my phone to shoot Veronica a quick message to let me in, and as I brought a hand to my face to stifle a yawn I felt coming, a small whiff of rose and sandalwood entered my brain, remnants of when I had my arm around him and had my hand lightly resting against his arm, and I couldn’t help the small smile as the door swung open in front of me, revealing my sister and her questioning gaze.

_Yeah, I got it bad. _


	3. Cause and Effect

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Having an encounter with two dominate Alphas has some slightly negative effects on Keith.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I'm actually the worst?  
I promised at least weekly chapter updates and what's it been? Like a week and a half? More?  
I'm really sorry to the people who have been reading this story and sending it love. My job just kinda got the better of me and it's been a little hard to even find the time to write. I actually had to write some of this while at work!  
But anyways, I hope this chapter makes up for it.

Sun light poured through the curtains of my bedroom, illuminating my vision under my closed eyes. The intrusion made my eyes twitch and open slightly, groaning quietly at the light. I shifted slightly and buried myself deeper into the blankets in an attempt to block out some of the light, pulling the comforter up to my nose and willing myself to fall back asleep. But my brain has different plans.

My now alert mind finally registered the sounds of cars passing by outside, the occasionally honk of a horn cutting through the almost peaceful noise. Though for whatever reason, they sounded louder than normal. I could hear my upstairs neighbor walking around, followed by loud thumps of what I could only assume was a dog jumping. Somewhere in the distance I could hear the chime of the university clock tower, the smooth bell ringing out nine times to signal the top of the hour…

I shot up out of bed and grabbed for my phone, the screen illuminating the time of 9:01AM stared back at me. I groaned again and let my phone slip out of my palm, bringing my hands up to face and rubbing lightly. I had slept through my 7:30 alarm and now I had to text Coran and explain to him why I was late and see if I can convince him to not fire me, because if I am being completely honest, this isn’t the first time this had happened. I flopped back onto the mattress and glared up at the ceiling, silently cursing the Gods who existed like it was their fault and not my own. I sighed again and pulled myself up, flipping the blankets off my legs and swinging them over the edge of the bed. Yawning, I pushed myself up and immediately my knees buckled and I was on the ground, heat rushing through my veins and the pin prickling across my entire body returning in full force.

Shit. _SHIT_.

This wasn’t supposed to happen for another few days. I timed it perfectly for the days I asked off for. The pre-symptoms just started yesterday, that was entire point of getting the suppressants; I needed my heat to hold off a few more days so I wouldn’t have to worry about going into public and I could just stay home and suffer in peace. A thick fog settled across my mind and it felt like I was breathing under water, the room was spinning and my throat felt like it was on fire. In the haze I heard a loud thump from the person upstairs and I could almost feel the vibrations go up my arms. Heat had never hit me this hard and quickly before; it was like getting ran over by a truck. I raised a shaky arm toward the bed, reaching blindly for my phone. When I felt the cool surface meet my finger tips, I almost moaned at the sensation – the cool feeling against my skin was euphoric in a way. I unlocked the screen and fumbled a quick message to Allura, Coran’s god daughter, explaining what was going on and that I wouldn’t be coming in. When the message sent, I tossed the phone to the side and leaned against the side of the bed, bringing my knees up to my chest and holding them there, curling up into a ball as another wave of heat made its way across my body. This wasn’t supposed to be happening…I was supposed to take the suppressants for a few days and then the heat isn’t unbearable, so why did it come almost four days early??

Almost as soon as the thought crossed my mind, a faint scent of ocean air caught my attention and my head shot toward the jacket I had been wearing yesterday, simply hanging on the back of my desk chair. Of course – I was around two dominate Alphas yesterday and both were releasing pheromones like crazy. That would defiantly mess some stuff up and make my body think it was being paired to someone. The image of cool, sapphire eyes appeared in my mind; as if it was carried with the scent and I couldn’t help the small twitch at the corner of my lips at the memory of the tall Alpha. I heard a faint buzz and I turned my head to look at my phone, where the preview of Allura’s reply shone on the screen.

_It came 4 days early?? Coran said he understands and to take the time you need. Shiro was already here so he said he would cover you for today and he would see if Adam or Curtis could cover your shift tomorrow. Do you need anything?? Shiro is worried now too.  
_From: Allura 9:12AM

I sighed and typed a quick thank you before setting my phone to the side and looking toward the jacket once again. Every now and then I could catch a faint smell of the ocean and it would cause a momentary spike of adrenaline to run in my veins. My head was still spinning, and every breath was heavy; everything seemed like it was in slow motion and all I wanted to do was go and smother myself with the material. I hastily unfolded my knees from my chest and stood on shaky legs, each step making me feel like I added forty pound weights attached to my calves. By the time I made it actually to the chair I was dripping sweat, my bangs plastered to my forehead as the heat finally took over my mind - clouding it in nothing but thoughts of getting the smell of an Alpha. I grabbed the jacket and brought it to my nose, taking a deep inhale and letting out a disappointed noise at the lack of scent. How had it been so strong just moments before and nothing now, especially now that I was closer to the item. I let out a shaky breath and set the jacket back on the desk, leaning against the surface and biting my lip as wave after wave of painful heat stabbed through my limbs. Every now and then the fog would thin for a moment and I was able to register something with partial clarity - 

My phone chiming with another text message.

Another thump for upstairs followed by a door slamming.

The thin moon tarot wall tapestry I had hanging over my window billowing slightly in the wind.

Wait. I turned my head slowly to the side and watched as the material was blown slightly inward, reveling the slight glimpse of an open window. I slowly moved from the desk, keeping one hand on the surface for support and stopped just short of the window, waiting for a moment when I felt the cold morning air brush against my skin in almost a sinful way. I gulped down thick air and lowered myself to my knees, crawling the remainder of the distance and moving the tapestry out of the way and letting the cool morning air hit me in the face like a bat. My skin felt like it cooled down almost instantly, but the throb was still there; at least it wasn't so damn hot. I let my arms hang out the window and felt the light breeze tickle my skin, sending pleasant shivers across already sensitive skin. I moved so my head was resting against my arm and I was looking down at the street below, counting every person who walked by in an attempt to try and clear my head, but unfortunately there was only so much that the fresh air could do and soon the heat made its way up my spine once again, making the fog return with a vengeance - thicker and with twice as much mind numbing cravings almost as to say "HOW DARE YOU TRY AND STOP ME MERE MORTAL" and then theoretically kick me in the dick. I groaned slightly and buried my face into my arms, biting my lip again as another twist of pain appeared. I needed to do something about this...I haven't had a heat this bad since I started on suppressants and I wasn't used to the full effect anymore. I passed out as soon as I got home yesterday and completely forgot to take a pill.

Moving back out of the window, I grabbed at the edge of the desk once more and lifting myself and eyeing the door to my bathroom. I had to try and at least take a days worth, hopefully it would take the edge off and make these next few days survivable. 

It felt like hours had pasted when I pushed open the door and took a step onto the cold tile. I flipped on the light and looked to the left, catching my refection on the mirror and staring. My hair was disheveled and sticking up in every direction except for the fringe around my face, that was stuck to my forehead with sweat. My face was beat red and and my eyes were glossed over in desire. Up and down my arms were patches of red where I had either rubbed them to hard, or the heat literally just made my pale skin look like it was burning from the inside. All in all, I was the picture perfect description of an unpaired Omega in heat. I shook my head and looked down at the counter, where the box of suppressants laid next to the paper bag the pharmacist had given me with Lances name on it. Grabbing the box I opened one end and shook it, letting it's contents fall against the counter top and throwing the box to the side. I removed one pill from its casing and popped it in my mouth, turning the tap on and gathering some cold water in cupped hands before bringing it to my lips and drinking. It honestly felt like pure heaven to drink and I made a mental note to try and get a cup before I returned to bed. I leaned against the counter and rubbed my face, letting the residual water soak into my hot skin and took a deep breath, silently hoping that I took the medicine in time to ward off at least one side effect of the heat - I felt my face flush more at the thought.

As an Omega, I understood everything that a heat brought. The sensitivity, the pain, the desire - everything. And while some Omegas, even though they're unpaired and have no mate, decide to just take everything their heat throws at them and not take suppressants, others (like myself) decide to try and combat out heats and rid our selves of a few debilitating symptoms. Taking the suppressants usually takes enough of the edge off to where I am usually laid up in bed for a few days with what feels like a bad fever and the occasional hyper sensitivity it causes. I don't feel the lust and desire that most Omegas experience during their heats, and I'm okay with that. It's one less thing to worry about when the time comes. But now I'm not sure. Since everything came on so early, it's unclear if the suppressants will work the same, and the mere thought was enough to rattle my fog shrouded brain. I haven't had to deal with the enhanced emotions in such a long time.

I shook my head again and lightly slapped both of my cheeks to snap myself out of the thought process. It would be fine. Everything would be fine after the meds kick in and I'll just lay in bed like I normally do and watch the same mothman conspiracy movie over and over like I usually do and eat way to much chocolate. I won't think about my heat and I defiantly wont think about blue eyes and the smell of the ocean. I DEFIANTLY wont think about tan skin and muscled arms around my shoulders. And don't even imply I was going to think about that sweet baritone voice saying my name and calling me "Babe". DON'T THINK - 

I looked up into the mirror again, only to be met with blown pupils, red cheeks and my chest heaving up and down. This was bad.

This was VERY BAD. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's short and I'm super sorry! I wanted to do a chapter kinda explaining what Keith uses the suppressants for and how he's effected by them. I promise the next chapter will be normal length - AND will feature both Keith and Lances POV, so please stay tuned!


	4. Can I have Seconds?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The fated second meeting. Just not quite how expected.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The POV's switch throughout the chapter. Separated by page breaks and labeled with names

LANCE

"Bro, I can't believe you forgot I had given you the notes! Talk to Iverson and see if he'll let you redo the paper!"

I looked up from my phone and squinted my eyes at the large Samoan man, pursing my lips and grumbling slightly, "I already tried that, Hunk. He won't let me do it. He said that if I don't get a 90 or above on this next exam there is no way I'm getting the internship." 

Hunk 'hmm'ed quietly and brought his hand up to rub at his chin in thought, eyebrows occasionally furrowing slightly as ideas ran through his brain. I sighed again and brought my attention back to the e-mail that was pulled up on my phone, letting my eyes re-scan the words and burning them into my mind.

_Mr. McClain,_

_Do to your recent grade slip on the Vanishing Dimensions paper that you submitted in my class last Monday- I have to unfortunately inform you that if you do not receive a 90 or above on the final exam that I will be made to remove you from the Garrison Internship program list, much to my disappointment. To answer the question you also asked in your previous e-mail, I cannot allow you to redo the paper, as it has already been submitted to the internship board for review. If you have any questions, please stop and see me after class hours.  
_

I felt my lips pull into a scowl at the words and quickly locked the screen and set the phone face down on the table, leaning forward and running my hands through my hair and letting out an exasperated noise. This entire situation was fucked beyond all comprehension. During the second week of the term, my grandfather had called from Cuba and told my mother that my grandmother had fallen down some steps outside their home and had broke her hip and her leg. My mother called me as soon as she got off the phone and told me what had happened, and I instantly left after my class ended. I had sent an e-mail to all my professors letting them know the situation and I would be back as soon as I could. We ended up being gone close to 2 and a half weeks. Most of the professors were understanding of the situation - however Professor Iverson who taught Multi-Physics Theory (which happened to be my most important class) decided that missing half the unit due to being out of the country wasn't good enough. Thus leading to the situation I am currently in. 

"Hunk I just don't get why he has it out for me! I'm one of his best students! Sure I goof off a lot and there was the one time I put that slime in his coffee cup, and the time I put super glue on the white board eraser but I still turn in the work! And I consistently get high marks. I just don't get it..." 

Hunk took his hand away from his chin and gave me a sad smile, "He's just tough buddy...He knows you do good work or he wouldn't have put your name in for the program!"

Looking up at Hunk, it's hard not to smile. The man is a literal ray of sunshine that could warm up even the iciest of hearts. He had been my best friend for years and I couldn't ask for a better person to be my friend. It's also the funniest thing when we are together people are shocked to find out that he's not an Alpha. Sometimes when I'm super stressed I can release pheromones unconsciously and sometimes an Omega can pick up on them, but when they walk over, they go right to Hunk and ask him how an Alpha like him is single. The big guy just blushes and smiles sheepishly, calmly telling them that he is a Beta and who they're smelling is me. Most of the time, the Omega looks at me and then back to Hunk in shock, others will sometimes think he's only saying it because he doesn't want their number. But it's the truth, Hunk is a Beta. 

I straightened myself back out and gave Hunk a small smile; he was right. I have had no problem getting at least a 90 on a exam before and now I have intensive. There is no way I could fail. Plus I had a little over three weeks to study my butt off. I crossed my arms over my chest and looked down at the spread of books in front of Hunk and I, a wave of anxiety washing over me as I remembered another, but not quite as daunting, problem both Hunk and I were being faced with at the moment. With both Hunk and I being Engineering majors, and both of us wanting to work for the Garrison Space Exploration and Research Center, we were educated when it came to matters of science and math and well, PHYSICS. But in addition to all that, in order to qualify for the internship, we had to take world culture classes so we didn't accidentally offend any high ranking people from other countries when they come to tour the facility - and we were hopelessly lost. Sure, I came from a Cuban background and Hunk was Samoan, but other than those cultures and languages, we were stuck. Hunk shifted his attention back to his book as well, pulling his brow together as he tried to decipher the French text, "Dude, if I try to read anymore French I'm gonna pass out. It hurts my brain. Like, ACTUALLY hurts." 

I couldn't help the laugh that escaped me, earning me glares and loud shushes from others around us in the library. I smiled in apology and ducked my head slightly to a fair haired girl who only glared and snapped her attention back to her textbook. Looking back to my own book, I realized I was in the same boat as Hunk and the French text staring back at me had started to all blur together. I rubbed my eyes before stretching my arms upward and yawning, "I couldn't agree more with ya buddy. Wanna head back to my place and watch "Nailed it" and criticize any baking that isn't your godly creations?"

Hunk blinked and let out one large laugh that echoed around the pillars of the room, causing everyone within a twenty foot radius of our table to turn and give one concurrent "SHHHHH!" 

* * *

KEITH

"_Mothman is real. He's out there. And it has always been my life long dream to find the proof I needed to present to the scientific community and begin research into the magnificence that is - Mothman."_

I had seen this documentary so many times I could quote the opening line even while I'm half asleep, half in heat and half drunk. Or any combination of the three. Like I was right now. 

I blinked slowly and took another drink of whatever fruity drink Pidge had left in my fridge the last time she had been here, loving the way the carbonation tickled my tongue and the way the alcohol made my brain fuzzy from something other than my heat. It took my mind off the still painful, but slightly dulled, pain that would shoot up my spine every now and then as well as the pangs of thick heat that would roll across my skin. I had opened the window again before I started the movie, the cool mid evening breeze sweeping my wall tapestry around slightly but filling the room with enough fresh air to help cool my skin off; plus the muffled noises of the city below distracted me and cut through the unchanging audio of the documentary. It was almost enough to make me unaware that my suppressants hadn't started working fully yet and I had been taking my normal dose for a few days now. 

Ever since my heat started four days early, I hadn't really left my bed other than to get small portions of food from the kitchen or to use the bathroom. Allura and Shiro had stopped by the first day to check on me, only to find that I had passed out in my small living room. Of course they freaked out and told me I needed to stay in bed as much as possible and that either they or Pidge would come by after they got off work to check I was still alive. I sighed and ran a hand through my sweat dampened hair, cringing at the dirty feeling. I should really try to take a shower - I hadn't had one in almost three days.

Flipping my blanket off my legs, I shivered as the cold air brushed against my bare legs and goosebumps broke out across my skin. It was an odd sensation, because I knew that I should feel cold, but everything was burning. Shakily I stood, bracing myself on my bed as a sudden wave of nausea came over me. This was going to be harder than I thought. Slowly taking a step at a time, I finally made it to the bathroom door and opened it, cringing slightly at the bright lights. Pretty soon I had the water running, and was slowly peeling (literally _peeling) _my clothes off my skin - I caught sight of my reflection in the mirror and couldn't help but frown. My skin was covered in the same red blotches as the first day my heat started, and where they weren't my skin looked paler than normal. I had dark circles under eyes and my hair was plastered to my head, heavy with sweat. I tore my eyes away and quickly stepped to the shower, pulling back the curtain and throwing myself under the lukewarm water. Almost instantly, any tension in my body faded and for a moment I wasn't in heat; there wasn't any pain, any heat or any fog clouding my head. There was just the water hitting against my skin and the sound of my problems going down the drain. Maybe this is what I needed to finally feel like myself again.

I spent close to thirty minutes in the shower, scrubbing my hair and every inch of skin. By the time I stepped out onto the fluffy black rug, my skin was red and raw from the pressure and my finger tips were pruned. But at least I felt more human than I had in the past few days. I grabbed a towel and started to vigorously towel dry my hair before wrapping it around my waist and stepping back out into my bedroom to grab a pair of sweats and a hoodie. After dressing and running the towel around my hair one more time, I stood staring at my window. Maybe I should let my hair dry in the fresh air?

I walked over and pulled back the tapestry, curling my legs up and letting myself be lowered to the window pane. I hung my arms out and just let myself get lost in the sounds and smells. Someone must have been barbecuing something, because I could smell the smokey charcoal and the slightly tangy scent of some kind of sauce. It made my mouth water and my stomach growl. I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply, reveling in the fact that my brain was mostly clear (except for the light buzz from the alcohol) and the suppressants finally seemed to be doing something. Opening my eyes back up, turned my head and caught sight of the glowing sign of the ice cream shop across the street and pursed my lips. Strawberry ice cream sounded phenomenal. But was it worth going out into public when I'm like this? I saw a woman and her son walk out of the shop, the son happily holding a chocolate cone and having chocolate smeared all over his cheeks. 

Yup. Worth it.

I pulled myself up from the window and happily noted I didn't feel any nausea. I looked around the room and saw a pair of slides sticking out from under the bed, so I grabbed a pair of socks and the shoes and made my way out to my living room. I pulled everything on and pulled my hood up over slightly still damp hair and pulled the strings to try and cover my neck as much as I could. I may be feeling better and on medication - but I was still in heat technically and I needed to take precautions. I grabbed my keys and made my way out of the apartment, down to the elevator and pressed the button. A few seconds later, a small ding came from the light above the door and the doors opened. I stepped in and pressed the button for the ground floor, leaning back against the wall as the doors closed once more and I felt a small jolt as I slowly descended.

* * *

LANCE

The walk from the library to my apartment was only about 10 minutes, but in those 10 minutes - Hunk had managed to make me laugh so hard I almost hit a street sign - TWICE. Not to mention that I had tripped over a manhole cover that was slightly open and almost face planted into the concrete. We were around the corner from my building, and Hunk was gushing about this other Beta named Shay in his Differential Equations class, I stopped just short of running into a woman rounding the corner at the same time. "Oh my gods! I'm so sorry ma'am!"

The woman had jumped a little but was looked at me with a small, slightly shaken smile, "Oh no, you're alright! I was trying to clean my kids face and wasn't watching where I was going. Sorry about that!"

I looked down and sure enough, the woman was holding hands with a small boy who was covered from cheek to cheek in chocolate. He was looking up at me with large green eyes, mouth hanging open in wonder, "Mister!" he proceeded to point at me with his other hand, which so happened to also be wrapped around an ice cream cone - "You're an Alpha right?? I hope I get to be an Alpha when I'm older! They're so cool!"

I couldn't help but smile at the kid and let out a small laugh. I used to be exactly like him. I had been so excited to go to the D.O.D on my 13th birthday and find out my dynamic, and even more excited when the doctor told me I was presenting as an Alpha. I gave the kid a thumbs up, "We are pretty cool aren't we? But don't worry! A strong guy like you? No doubt you'll be an Alpha!"

The child excitedly looked up at his other, "Momma! Did you hear that?! He said I could be an Alpha!"

The woman gave her son a large smile and nodded, "I heard him, Liam. I have no doubts either." She looked back at us and gave us the same smile, "Liam is so excited to go to the D.O.D. Every time we pass it he gets so happy and points and says he wants to work there when he's older."

Hunk let out a laugh and held his fist out toward the kid, "You can do it, bud! Just gotta work hard, okay?"

The boy stared at Hunks fist for a moment before his face exploded in the largest grin I have ever seen. He pulled his hand from his mothers hold and pretended to punch Hunks fist with as much power has he could muster, his eyes pretty much glowing with excitement. After a moment, the kid pulled back and put his hand right back into his mothers, giving us one more large smile. The woman smiled at us and apologized one more time before walking around us and continuing on their walk; we could hear the kid still gushing about how cool we were.

"Well that was pretty cool." 

I looked at Hunk and nodded, "It really was. I think we kinda made his day."

He nodded right back and laughed, "I think we did. Now come on, We have bakers to judge."

We continued around the corner, the building steps coming into view. My building wasn't anything special - the rent was cheap and they allowed pets so I could keep Kultenecker when I had moved from home. We went up the steps and pulled the door to enter the building, the main lobby only consisting of a small desk the manager sat at most of the time, rows of mail boxes and the two elevators, "Bro, we should order Chinese food."

I looked at Hunk and raised an eyebrow, "You wanna order Chinese food and watch shows about baking?"

We stepped up to the elevator and I pressed the up call button, "Yeah dude! When we walked in I swear I could smell Miss. Cho cooking dumplings, and now all I want his some Chinese food."

"Hunk, I love you. You're my best friend," the elevator dinged as it began it's decent, "I'm glad we think alike. But now I want Chinese food and I blame you."

Hunk let out another laugh as the elevator gave a final ding and the doors began to open. I looked up and began to take a step into the elevator only to be hit by a wall of the best smell I have ever...well, SMELLED. It smelled familiar and in an instant all Alpha instinct within me went on high alert - and when the person inside the elevator looked up, the scent hit me again like a punch in the gut.

Rose and Sandalwood.

Violet eyes stared directly back me, pale skin was wrapped in a baggy black hoodie with a hippo on the front, and dark hair was peeking out under the hood, looking slightly damp like he had just come from the shower not long ago. I let my eyes roam his person for a moment before a small voice pulled me back to his eyes, "...Lance?"

Keith.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So. I'm horrible aren't I?   
I know I am. Please forgive me. I have literally been dying of exhaustion for the past two months.   
BUT I UPDATED!


	5. Why aren't they working?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith starts to realize the true effect Lance's presence has on him. So he seeks out the only people he thinks might have some answers as to why.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The entire chapter is in Keith's POV so there will be no POV markers

At first I thought I was dreaming. 

That I was still upstairs in bed, having dozed off without realizing it. I thought my mind was creating an image in front of me because of the intense difference this heat was bringing; the memory of ocean air and warm tan skin manifesting into something my body thought it wanted. Then maybe, I thought I was hallucinating. 

It wouldn't be to far fetched honestly. With how drained I've felt the last three days and the complete lack of sleep, I could have easily been seeing things. 

The only thing that made me finally conclude that this was not a dream, nor just a hallucination, was the wave of pheromones and strong scent of the beach that filed the elevator when I met the gaze of a set of bright blue eyes, all the air leaving my lungs when I saw those same eyes rake over my form. His presence alone was enough to make heat explode from my chest and my body suddenly felt to heavy for my legs to support, my bones feeling like they had been replaced with jello. The pain I was expecting to shoot up my spine never came, instead it felt like a pleasant warm hum was slowly caressing its was across every inch of my skin. The irritating pricks that had been plaguing me were suddenly more like finger tips just barely ghosting the surface. The scent around me was intoxicating as I breathed it in, filling me with warmth that was nothing like I had experienced before. 

"...Lance?"

His name slipped out before I could stop myself and reality came crashing down around me. Lance was standing there, looking as confused as I felt, staring at me with wide eyes. He was with another large man, who was looking at his friend with a questioning gaze. We just stood there staring at each other, both to scared to break eye contact first, like blinking would ruin the immersion. 

There was a small ding and suddenly the elevator doors began to close, snapping us both out of our trace. Panic swelled in my veins (for some reason), and I reached my hand out to stop them from closing, but a tan hand slapped on the door, stopping them and triggering them to open once more. Lance stood there with with his arm still up, the same panic evident in his eyes as he blinked rapidly, but as he slowly realized how hard he had hit the door, a small blush began to creep along a slightly freckled nose. 

"Keith...What are you doing here?"

He spoke slightly hushed, almost as if he was afraid if he was to loud that he would scare me away. I blinked at him and glanced at his friend, who was giving the tan man a very confused look, "You know this guy, Lance?"

Lance straightened up and returned his hand to his side, moving back slightly and motioning more me to step out of the elevator. I swallowed the knot in my throat and stepped into the open; Lances scent was still swirling around me, but it was slightly better now that I wasn't in a cramped space. The feeling of finger tips against my skin was still there, and the heat going up and down my spine only grew when I stepped closer to the Alpha. I couldn't take my eyes off him as he turned slightly to his friend, giving me view of the sharp angle of his jaw, making my teeth clench as another wave of heat spiked though me. What the actual hell was wrong with me?

"Hunk, this is Keith. You remember me telling you about a few days ago at the pharmacy?"

The guy, Hunk, blinked and suddenly he was all smiles, "Oh yeah! The dude was being an ass and trying to fight him! I remember now," Hunk turned to look at me and gave me a bright smile, "Lance told me you had the situation handled but Alpha pride and all that jazz."

I looked at Lance and gave him a puzzled look, only for him to smile and give me a slight shrug in return, "Yeah man, you know my pride. I see someone in danger and I can't help but step in!"

I couldn't help the upward tug of my lips. Lance must have noticed because his smile only grew more as he turned to Hunk, "Hey buddy do me a favor," he dug around in his pocket for a minute before pulling out a set of keys and a wallet, "Will you head up and grab Kaltenecker and order the food? Use the red card when you pay!" Hunk nodded and grabbed the items, giving me one last smile before stepping into the elevator and disappearing as the doors closed again, leaving me alone with Lance. With Hunk gone, the air around us was slightly awkward but was still swirling around our intermingled scents, "So a hippo huh? I pegged you more of a lion kinda guy."

I felt my face heat up in embarrassment, only now remembering I was dressed in my favorite hoodie (that just so happened to have the outline of a hippo on it) and baggy sweats, while Lance looked like a million dollars and more put together than I have in the last three days, "O-oh, well I really like hippos...and my brother got me this a few years ago so it's special." I have no idea why I'm telling him this stuff, but it felt right to give him details about my life.

He nodded and smile slightly, "Hippos are pretty rad." 

I crossed my arms over my chest and looked down at my feet, suddenly very interested in my slides. All the feelings going around in my head were making the room spin slightly, the warm feelings make another layer of sweat break out across my forehead. Lance was pumping out more pheromones faster than I could handle and it was starting to make my vision so blurry, "L-Lance...can you..cut it down on the pheromones? I'm still..in heat technically.."

His face went serious and I felt the air suddenly go still, all pheromones stopping almost instantly. I looked up at him slightly and saw an almost pained look go across his features, "I'm sorry Keith. They go a little crazy when I'm stressed." I only shook my head and gave him a small grin, only then remembering his question before he introduced Hunk, "Why're you here, Lance?"

He lifted a sharp eyebrow, his expression immediately changing to something almost mischievous, "I live here. What about you? I know you came down from the elevator, but do you have a friend that lives here?"

"Uh, technically? I have a friend that lives on the forth floor, but I live on the third." I could feel my heartbeat rising at the knowledge. Lance lived here. In the same building. His eyes went wide when he smiled, "Oh really? I live on the forth floor too! I've only lived here for a few months so maybe that's why I haven't seen you around before a few days ago."

I nodded without saying anything back. I couldn't help but feel the large knot in my stomach, nerves standing on edge by how close the Alpha was standing. I had no clue why my body was reacting this way...Sure I had been exposed to large amounts of pheromones a few days ago, but I work with plenty of Alphas. I've never had a reaction like this before when I was on suppressants and around other dynamics. I wasn't like this around Shiro, or Lotor or even any of the other Alphas that walk around. So why was I having such a reaction to Lance? I couldn't help but peek up at the Alpha once more, only to have heat bloom under my cheeks when our eyes met because he was looking right back with that stupid dopey grin, "I'm actually kinda glad I ran into you again, Keith."

I felt all air leave my body and a sudden rush of cold spread across my skin, leaving my heart beating like a freight train. With those words, it was like my heat dissipated for a moment and everything was crystal clear - the man in front of me was beyond beaming, blue eyes sparkling and the warmth emanating from him was like everything I've needed for the past few days. My stomach dropped as the thought finally sunk in. Why was I feeling like this? I swallowed a large breath and dug my hands into my pockets, looking down at the tile and trying to make myself as small as possible. 

"I uh..I gotta go Lance. It was good to see you.."

The air shifted and I didn't have to look at his face to know it was painted in disappointment, "Oh..o-okay. Well, now that we know we live in the same building, we'll have to hang out or something! Hunk is an amazing cook so you'll have to come by when he makes dinner! And you can invite your friend too so it's not as weird."

I felt my lips tug slightly before I pushed the warm feeling back down, keeping my head toward the floor and turning all my focus to my slides and Lance's blue Vans, "Thanks, Lance. I'll see you."

I quickly side stepped and made a be-line for the front doors, almost desperate to breathe in fresh air. In the back of my mind, my conscious was doing two things - kicking me for rushing out of the situation like a wimp, and registering the small ding of the elevator as the doors opened and then the sudden absence of Alpha pheromones. And as I walked through the doors, letting the mid-evening air wash across me, I reached into my pants pocket and pulled out my phone, punching in a number that I could dial in my sleep and bringing it to my ear.

"_Hello? Keith? What's going on? Are you okay??_" Shiro picked up on the second ring, voice frantic and full of worry, "_You never call this late unless something is wrong._"

"I'm fine, Shiro. I promise."

He didn't seem convinced as I heard a small 'hm' into the receiver, "_Are you sure_?"

I sighed and slowly made my way down the steps, looking up the road before quickly dashing across the street, stopping at the door of the ice cream shop, "I swear. Are Adam or Curtis around?"

"_Uh, yeah? They're in the living room, why?_"

"Can I talk to them?"

"_Keith, this is the first time I've heard from you in days, and you wanna talk to my boyfriends? I'm hurt little brother. I'm really hurt._" Shiro gave a fake sniffle through the phone before letting out a small laugh, "_Yeah, hang on. Lemme go down there._" Shiro must have pulled the phone away from his ear, because the quiet shout of '_Babes, Keith wants to talk to you two_" paralleled my brothers normal volume. A moment later, a smooth voice entered the receiver, "_Keith? What's going on? Are you okay?_" 

I pulled the door open to the ice cream shop and entered, loving the smell and the small chill that ran down my spine, "_Yeah Adam, I'm okay. Is Shiro still in the room?_"

"_Yeah, do you need him not to be?"_ I could tell I was put on speaker when Curtis answered the question, the smile on his face evident in his voice, "_Because we can easily make his not be_."

I heard Shiro give a small, '_RUDE_' before I responded, "Actually yeah. Sorry Shiro. No hard feelings, ya'know. Just Omega stuff." I looked up and saw the shop worker looking at me with a raised eyebrow, "Oh! I'm sorry! Can I get two scoops of strawberry with extra strawberry slices on top?" She nodded before giving me one more glace and going to do her job.

"_Are you getting ice cream Kei - HEY! Adam_!"

"_You heard him, Takashi. This is Omega business only. No Alphas allowed._" I could hear small shuffles here and there as I could only assume Adam was pushing Shiro from the room, followed by Shiros stammering and failed excuses as to why he should still be in the room. A moment later, Adam returned sounding much closer, "_I swear sometimes it seems like he's the Omega with how clingy he is. But he's gone now Keith, what's up?_"

I couldn't help the small smile that pulled across my features. My brother may not have the most conventional relationship having two paired Omegas, but they were fated. And they were all happy in their relationship so that's all that really mattered in my opinion, no matter what others said around them. My family and small group of friends were full of unconventional pairs - like Allura and Lotor, both were Alphas. But they were in a happy relationship. They are understanding that they'll never have natural children, but they make it work. The girl behind the counter pulled me from my thoughts as she handed me the ice cream, giving me a sad smile before whispering, "Don't worry about it, it's on the house."

I stared at her in shock before shaking my head, "W-What? No I can't possibly -"

"Trust me, I know how much ice cream helps when you're in heat. Don't worry about it, I promise." I couldn't help but stare at the girl, giving her a small smile before nodding and giving her a whisper of a thank you. She nodded and again and waved, "Feel better, dude. Get you an Alpha, you're cute enough!" I felt a blush bloom across my cheeks as I turned and made my way out of the shop, the workers laugh echoing behind me. "Seriously...are you guys still there?"

"_Yup! So beside getting free ice cream, what's going on?_"

I collected myself as I walked across the street again, slowly taking a breath before letting the question that had been plaguing my mind for the past thirty minutes roll out, "Do...Have you ever heard of suppressants suddenly not working after being exposed to high levels of Alpha pheromone?" It came out all in a jumbled mess, but I'm pretty sure the silence on the other end of the line meant they were processing the question, "Like they have worked for years upon years, but then you're exposed to seriously high levels - and I meeeaaan high levels," the mental picture of Lance and the other Alpha glaring at each other appeared in my head, making me shiver, "and then BAM! They don't work how they're supposed to? Or the effects seem to be getting weaker? What's the cause? Will it always be like that after?"

"_Keith - KEITH! Breath. Why're you asking this all of a sudden? Did something happen?_" Curtis sounded worried, and I could almost picture the panicked expressed pulled across his features.

"I mean, what would happen if - in a hypothetical situation - I was at the pharmacy the other day and a gross Alpha tried to scent me against my will and then another Alpha came and helped me out and pretended to be my boyfriend for a minute to help me get away and then they had a pheromone pissing match and the guy who was helping me smelled so fucking good, like the ocean! But the amount of pheromones made me go into heat early and that's why I couldn't come to work that one time and now I just found out he lives in the same building as me and when I was coming down the elevator he was waiting at the bottom and when the doors opened he was there and the smell was so good - "

"_KEITH. Slow down. I highly doubt that this is a theoretical situation with how detailed you're being,_" Adam sounded slightly muffled, like he was talking through his hand, "B_ut from what it sounds like, and you might not want to hear this, it sounds like a fated pairing. Especially if instead of just getting dizzy and wanting to jump on him, you smelled something within his pheromones. That only happens when it's something more than just two people meeting. I mean that's how it was with Takashi, Curtis and I, and that's the only way we knew how to work out what the situation was. And that would probably explain the suppressants not working...it's literally your body telling you that something that is meant to be is happening and it wants it to continue - Keith?? Keith are you still there??_"

My brain had completely shut down at the words, making it all that I could hear, bouncing around the inside of my skull and echoing. This...this couldn't be happening. Fated pairs were something parents told their children when they were young to make them excited about being paired someday. They weren't real..but then again...Shiro, Curtis and Adam were fated. So maybe there was a chance it was real. But at the same time - _LANCE? _


	6. I Want to See Him

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance wants nothing more than to see Keith, and he has no idea how to handle it. 
> 
> Most of the chapter in in Lance's POV

Days had gone by since I saw Keith come down from the elevator, and since then nothing going on around me had felt right.

I woke up grumpier than normal, I was falling asleep in class - and due to that my grades were starting to slip. Everything seemed to irritate me throughout the day and I couldn't focus on anything. It was so bad, that when Hunk and I were walking to our Astronomy lecture, I tripped over the flat concrete and dropped my coffee all over my pants; when Hunk tried to help me I ended up snapping at him that I could do it myself and that I didn't need his help. The hurt look on my best friends face made me instantly realize what I had done and apologized. 

Hunk had been a little quieter since then.

Not only had everything been irritating to me, but there was this constant ache in my chest. It wasn't painful, but it was just _there_. Just enough to be annoying. Oh- OH. And the worst part? All of it was stressing me out, which made me pump out more pheromones without really noticing it and made most of the Omegas around me either turn tail and run, or come up to me and try to talk to me; normally that wouldn't bother me, but it just seemed to irritate me _more_ so I would be mean to them and then they would call me an asshole and turn to go tell everyone I rejected them. It's not my fault that none of them had black hair and gorgeous violet eyes and didn't have a cute hippo sweatshirt twice their size and didn't smell like the most delicious fucking thing on the planet and weren't named Keith.

I groaned and laid my head against my textbook, trying to calm myself down enough to stop the flow of pheromones escaping me and making the girl next me literally shake. I took deep breaths and pictured myself sitting on a beach, feeling the sand between my toes and a cold drink in my hand. The sun shining and the familiar slight twinge of a newly forming sunburn, making my already tan skin develop a dusting of freckles all over my shoulders and arms. The sound of waves filled my ears and the scent of clean water filled my nose.

It was my place. 

"Mr. McClain. Would you care to answer my last question?"

I felt a sharp pain in my side, making me shoot up and look around the room before stopping on the student next to me, who was giving a panicked look and and had his elbow cocked to jab me in the side once again in case I hadn't responded to the first time. I gave him a funny look and he looked to the side and jerked his head toward the front of the room, and as I followed his gaze, I felt my stomach drop. Professor Iverson stood in front of the class with his arms crossed and his eyes leering on me, "Well Mr.McClain? Are you going to answer my question?"

"Um...c-could you possibly repeat it?" I hated that my voice broke. 

His eyes narrowed and he took a step back before turning away from me completely, "See me after the lecture, McClain."

I sighed and didn't even bother responding. I picked up my pen, looking down at my empty paper and trying my best to remain focused on the rest of the class.

* * *

"McClain, what has gotten into lately? You never fall asleep in class. Now all of a sudden, your grades are slipping and you're not paying any attention."

I stood in front of Iversons desk, clutching my back pack with a white knuckle grip and refusing to look directly at him. I wanted to completely honest with him and tell him that ever since I had met a certain Omega, my head has been filled with nothing but thoughts of him and it was causing me to slowly lose my mind. That I wanted nothing more than to just see him again. But I couldn't.

"I just haven't been sleeping very well lately. They're doing construction across the street from my apartment and the noise keeps me awake."

Iverson raised an eyebrow and only gave me a slight nod, "I expect you to pay attention in my class, Mr.McClain. As the candidate for the Garrison Internship, you need to have top marks - and these recent grades, and this new addition of falling asleep in class, is not the way to keep the position."

The words were like spikes into my brain. I knew that I needed to be better to keep the spot, but hearing the way that Iverson was saying them made it ten times worse. I nodded and looked up to meet his eyes, "I promise I'll do better, sir."

"Good, because there is actually someone here to talk to you from the Internship Board. Take a seat. I'll write you a pass for your next class."

A chill ran up my spine as Iverson stood from his desk and walked through a door located next to his whiteboard, closing his behind him and leaving me alone for gods know how long. Someone from the internship board? Why were they here? I still had plenty of time for selections! They couldn't be here to boot me. Was it about my paper? Was it really that bad? Holy shit, they're gonna kick me from the program and I'll never get into the Garrison. I'll never be able to go to space. I'll never --

"Right this way sir. Mr.McClain is right in here."

I swung my body to face the door, fully expecting to see a short old man with almost no hair and a stern look that already tells me that I'm kicked from the internship. But what walked through the door was nothing like that. He was younger, with a large build and a flawless complexion - the white hair was what threw me off however. He had to be in his late twenties, maybe thirty at the most. He wore an all black suit, with a black button up and a black tie and his smile was almost blinding as he reached out to grab my hand, "Ah! Lance McClain! It's finally an honor to meet you! I really enjoy reading your papers and seeing your view points on some of the things we deal with at the Garrison. My name is Takashi Shirogane, but please, call me Shiro."

* * *

Hunk was waiting for me outside when I finally exited the Physics building. I had talked to Shiro for close to an hour and a half, making me completely miss my next class and prompting Iverson to send my professor an e-mail explaining my absence, "Where were you dude? You totally missed Professor Blaytz having a total melt down in the middle of class because his Omega texted him and is going into labor or something."

I blinked at him and raised an eyebrow, "And he didn't leave?"

"No, he ran out before anyone else could at the end of the lecture. He cancelled class for the next two days!" 

Two days? Not that I had a problem with that, but that means he wouldn't have a class for almost a week since he only had classes three times a week. I shrugged and lifted my bag higher onto my shoulders, beginning my descent down the stair to meet my large friend, stopping next to him and giving him a light tap on the arm, "Do we really have an issue with that? Means we get out of class at noon and then nothing for the rest of the day!"

"Yeah, you have a point. Just don't know how we are going to make it up."

"He'll figure it out."

Hunk nodded, and as we began to walk away from the building, he turned his head toward me, "But you still never answered my question, where were you?"

"Oh...well I fell asleep in Iversons class and he caught me. So I had to stay behind for him to lecture me about that, but then he told me that someone from the Internship Board was there to talk to me!" Hunks eyes went wide and his jaw dropped, "My exact reaction dude. I was almost certain some stuffy guy was gonna come out and tell me I had been dropped and that I was kicked out of the school and everything bad that was associated with getting dropped from something and oh my gods Hunk I was shaking and I couldn't breath and the only thing I could think about what how disappointed my parents would be if I got kicked and then all the hell my brothers would put me through and how I would be the worst uncle ever and that I-"

Hunk had stopped and turned quickly to grab both sides of my face, squeezing my cheeks together and making me have fish lips, "But none of that happened, right?"

I pulled my face away and rubbed at my cheek, "No. The dude that came out was actually super chill. He was this younger guy named Shiro, and I guess he's right under the chairman of the board. Said that they always enjoyed my papers, and that the chairman actually laughs at some of the humor I try and put in. He said that the last paper I turned in, the one Iverson threw such a fit about, was honestly one of their favorites!"

Hunk beamed and wrapped his arm around my shoulder, pulling me into a large, tight hug, "I knew you had it in you dude! I knew they were gonna love you!"

I couldn't contain my laughter as Hunk continued to squeeze me, "I know you did, buddy. Thank you! And get this," Hunk set me down and we continued down the sidewalk, "They want me to come to the Garrison and meet the Chairman of the board on Friday. I guess that's when they have the board meetings and everyone isn't running around doing their actual jobs."

Hunk gave me a confused look, "What do you mean?"

"I guess the board isn't a full time thing. Shiro told me he used to be a pilot at one point, but he got into an accident and they had to take him off the actual exploration side and put him in the control room. And the chairman is one of the the big wigs of the entire place, but he kinda runs around and does whatever needs done. There are five people on the board total and they all have their own jobs within the Garrison." Hunk was nodding with every bit of information that I gave him, soaking it all in. Hunk had applied for a similar internship with the Garrison but his was for the tech and science division rather than the exploration part, and while he had already been accepted into the program, he still had to do the formal acceptance at the end with everyone else, so he was trying to get all the insight he could on the board.

We had made it to the parking lot and were walking toward Hunks mustard yellow pickup when a newly familiar tuff of white hair caught my attention a few cars down, where Shiro was standing next to a very expensive looking black Mercedes, his phone pressed against his ear and a small smile on his face. Hunk must have followed my eyes and saw him, "Who's that?"

"That's Shiro, the guy from the internship board." 

Hunk froze with his key in the lock, his eyes bugging out of his head and staring unblinkingly at me, "SAY WHAT?"

I nodded and smiled at my best friend, "Yup! That's him. Told ya he wasn’t the typical suit.” I turned toward the white haired man and raised a hand to wave, “Hey Shiro!”

The white haired man looked up and gave a blinding smile before waving back and turning to walk toward us, his phone still pressed to his ear and moving with a confidence I could only dream of having, “Yeah, I’ll be home later if you wanna come by for dinner. Both Adam and Curtis are off today so you’ll be able to talk to them more, ” Shiro paused in front of us, “Of course! Whenever you would like. I gotta go though, I’ll see you tonight.” Shiro pulled the phone away from his ear and pressed the end call button quickly, looking up to meet our eyes and once again giving us a bright smile, “Hey Lance! Didn’t expect to see you again so soon.”

”Once you left, Professor wanted to talk to me a bit more so I stayed behind. Ended up staying for the entirety of my next class, which also happened to be my last one of the day. Oh! Shiro, this my friend Hunk. He entered the Internship program too.”

Shiro turned his head toward Hunk with wide eyes, “Oh! Hunk Garrett! I would know that name anywhere; Lotor always has a ball reading your papers and taking your input down to the guys in the Lab divisions. He wanted us to accept you after two papers, and we haven’t regretted the decision since.” Hunks jaw fell to the floor at the words, his eyes going wide and, in all seriousness, _sparkling. _

”Really?! Oh that’s fantastic! Thank you, UH, thank you so much Mr. Shiro s-sir! You don’t know how much that means to me to hear you say that, or the anxiety it also gives me that I have to continue to do better and better on each paper or I’m gonna be a disappointment and - oh Gods I think I’m gonna throw up and how embarrassing would that be to do—“ 

I quickly slapped a hand over the big mans mouth to silence him and gave Shiro an apologetic smile. The white haired mans eyes were crinkled up due to the large smile on his face and he held up a hand, “Don’t worry to much Hunk. In all honesty, the board isn’t as scary as your professor makes us out to be. We’re just a group trying to encourage the next group of space explorers and researchers. So as much as Iverson might be a stick in the mud who tells you that a paper is bad because your theory doesn’t quite match up with his, we think differently at the Garrison. And that’s why we chose you two,” Shiro paused to look at both of us, “Because your ideas could revolutionize what we do. Could lead to the next big discovery! You quite literally _are_ the future.”   
  


The words coming from the older man were sending chills down my spine. Those were the words I had been striving to hear since I started college, and since I applied for the Garrison program - and here I am now. One of the members of the Internship board, one that was the actual epitome of Alpha-ness; was complimenting my work and telling me that I was the future of space research. I felt my eyebrows draw together and I let my hand fall from Hunks face, both of us holding ourselves a little higher as we gave determined looks to the Alpha.

”We won’t disappoint you, Shiro.”

Hunk nodded in agreement to my words, a confident smirk coming across his features. Shiro pulled his hand from his pocket and held it out to me, my own hand meeting his without thought to give the best hand shake I could muster, “I have no doubt that you two will do amazing things at the Garrison.” A sudden shrill ring cut off Shiros words, and he released my hand to reach back into his pocket and withdraw his phone, looking at the screen quickly before looking back at us, “I gotta take this, it’s my Omegas. It was an honor to meet you boys and I anticipate meeting you again. Lance, and Hunk if you can, we will see you at the Garrison on Friday at ten. Have a good night guys!” 

He extended his hand to Hunk who gave a quick, but firm handshake and turned back to his car, pulling the phone to his ear as he did, “Hey babes, what’s up? Yeah, I’m on my way home now.”

We watched Shiro get into the car and drive away, and when we were sure he was out of line of sight, I slapped Hunk on the arm as we both did a small celebratory dance, “DUDE! I wasn’t joking when I said he was chill!”

”Bro, no you weren’t. He’s so cool. And did you feel his hand shake? He’s so strong! It didn’t feel human!” Hunk couldn’t stop smiling as he unlocked his car door, “And did you catch him say his _Omegas_, like plural? Can that even happen?” 

I shrugged and walked to the passenger side, pulling the door open and tossing my bag onto the floor board, “I’ve heard of it. But it’s not a common thing and some people don’t quite agree with it but who cares? Does it effect anyone outside of the relationship? Probably not.” 

Hunk started the engine and quickly pulled out of his parking spot, starting the 10 minute drive to my apartment building so he could drop me off. The drive was quiet except the occasional comment Hunk would throw in about some random subject, but I barely listened. Now that the excitement of Shiros words had worn off, my head was free to roam and once again images of dark hair and violet eyes invaded my thoughts. 

I tired to focus on things outside the window as we passed, but I couldn't shake the thought of Keith from my mind. I had purposely gone to the forth floor in the apartment building a few times under the guise that I "pressed the wrong button" just to see if I could run into the Omega. My brain kept telling me what I was doing was crazy, and that if I did end up running into him again, he would be scared away and I would really never see him again; my heart on the other hand was aching to have any kind of contact that I could manage, and being even just close to him would be enough. I sighed and rest my head against the window, finally giving into the urge of my heart.

I wanted to see Keith. Even just in passing, but see him none the less. And while my heart may have been happy that I finally owned up to the feeling, my brain was wondering even father, etching the question of _does Keith even want to see me?_ into my brain a dozen times. My stomach felt tight and as we pulled into the apartments parking lot, my eyes scanned until they fell upon the candy apple red bike parked toward the back of the lot, making my pulse rise and my breathing speed up. He was here.

He was here and I couldn't see him. My inner Alpha was going absolutely insane at the thought, the emotions seemingly tearing up my throat in an attempt to make themselves known to the world - that this Omega that I've barely spoken to and have only seen a total of two times, has me wrapped around his finger and willing to do anything for him.

I groaned as I opened the car door, making Hunk give me a concerned look before exiting the car himself, "Uh...Lance? You're uh...you okay buddy?"

My eyes snapped to him and I could feel my vision go red almost instantly. Pheromones pumped out in larger quantities than _I_ could even handle, and all rational thought left my head, "_NO _Hunk, I'm not okay. I haven't been okay since I helped Keith at that pharmacy. Nothing has been right since that bastard tried to scent him against his will when he was starting his heat and Veronica asked me to pretend to be his boyfriend to get him out of the situation. Nothing has even _felt right_ since I smelled him and now I can't get him out of my head. I can hardly focus in class and every thought is about _Keith. _I don't know what's going on or why it's happening but it's terrifying Hunk." By the end of my outburst, I was panting but my vision had returned to normal. Hunk was still looking at me, but his eyes were wide and full of a mix of shock and concern, and his mouth was slightly agape. It dawned on me a moment later what I had said and I felt my skin grow cold and a chill ran up my spine.

_Fuck. _

* * *

**[SAME TIME, AROUND THE CORNER OF THE BUILDING - KEITH POV]**

I opened the back door of the building, my helmet tucked under one arm while my hands fiddled with the keys to my bike. I used the back door most of the time because I parked my bike the back of the parking lot to avoid people hitting it with their cars (cause no one parked back here except myself) and it was just easier to get to if I used the rear doors instead of walking out the front and walking all the way - unless of course I was walking somewhere instead of using my bike, which I do do sometimes and - 

Okay, I'm internally rambling. 

I sighed as I clutched my bikes key in my hand and tried to silence my restless head. The past few days had been rough, but my heat had finally subsided and I was in the clear to be off the suppressants and return to my normal life and work schedule. I had called Shiro earlier to let him know I was cleared to work, and he insisted I came over to Adam, Curtis and his place for dinner, and honestly, who am I to refuse free food?

"...hardly focus in class and every thought is about Keith. I don't know what's going on or why it's happening but it's terrifying Hunk."

I froze in place as the voice, followed by a wave a pheromones so strong it almost knocked be back a foot, met my ears. That was Lance's voice.

I didn't hear anything else, or rather couldn't, due to the sudden ringing in my head and the rush of warmth that bloomed from my stomach. My body ached to do nothing more than throw myself around the corner and into the Alphas arms and make him hold me and never let go, but my brain refused to let me even move an inch. 

What the hell did he mean every thought was about me? What the actual fuck was going on?


	7. Finally

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally.
> 
> Keith and Lance POV - labeled and separated

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So just a fair warning.  
As I wrote this, I almost imagined it as an episode of a TV show where it switches back and forth rather quickly between two characters who are talking about each other or in a situation where they're about to meet *wink wink nudge nudge* SO if it reads a little rushed between the POVs, I do apologize but there is a reason it's written that way and a method to my madness.  
ANYWHO, please do enjoy! <3

**Keith POV**

I immediately called Shiro and told him I wasn't going to be able to make it to dinner. When he asked why, all I told him was that I wasn't feeling well all of a sudden- which in retrospect probably wasn't a good idea when your older brother is a bigger worrier than both of his mates combined.

_"Keith, you can't talk me out of this. If you're not feeling well we are coming over to help you. You just got over your heat and now you're sick again? We'll be there in fifteen minutes." _ Shiro must have pulled the phone away from his ear for a moment before he pressed the end button because I heard him yell to Adam and Curtis, "_Babes! Grab your coats we're leaving and going to Keith's-"_

Then the line went dead.

I pulled my phone away and groaned, leaning up against the back door of the building and trying to compose myself for what was about to happen. I tried to take deep breaths to calm my still stirring heart, but the lingering traces of ocean water still flowing around me only made it harder to do so. Lance and Hunk had left the parking lot and gone inside a few minutes ago, but I was to afraid to round the corner and confirm it, not wanting to take the chance of the Alpha still being there and me not being able to control myself. 

"_Every thought is about Keith."_

The words kept echoing around in my brain and made my chest ache, but not a painful ache - just enough to make itself known. What did he mean every thought was about me? How much was Lance _really _being effected by this whole ordeal? It's not like he had to deal with the pain of being in heat, or the feeling of being scented against his will and being completely powerless to do anything about it just because of a strain in ones DNA. I could feel the coiling in my stomach getting tighter, but if it was in anger or in slight anguish at the absence of the Alpha, I had no idea; wasn't something I really wanted to think about or figure out at this moment.

I pushed myself up from leaning against the door and pulled it open, stepping inside into the dark hallway that lead to the managers officer and some kind of storage room. I walked slowly down the hall until I stepped through the doorway that lead into the main lobby. Miss. Cho was sitting at her desk and gave me a confused look," Back so soon? You hardly left 5 minutes ago!"

I gave her a small smile before shrugging lightly, "My plans got cancelled as soon as I got outside," I turned to leave, but stopped mid way and turned back to the old woman, "Oh, Miss. Cho, if you happen to see my brother come in. Don't let him up."

She blinked and only gave me a small laugh, "Oh Keith, you know I can't say no to your brother! So handsome and tall!" She put her hands on her reddening cheeks and began to physically swoon over just the mention of Shiro. I deadpanned and turned away quickly, making my way to the elevator and internally dreading trying to explain to my brother the real reason I backed out on dinner.

* * *

**Lance POV**

Hunk and I had taken a short walk around the block for me to cool my head. 

After my outburst and pretty much telling him exactly what happened with Keith at the pharmacy, Hunk stayed quiet and let me explain how I had been feeling the past almost week and how since I came into contact with the Omega, my brain has just been short circuiting and my inner Alpha wanted nothing more than to see him. Hunk only nodded and 'hmm'ed slightly on occasion, taking in all the information and assessing what the best course of action would be. I don't think he was upset that I snapped at him, just concerned that it happened at all.

"If you wan't my honest thoughts bro, I think you need to talk to Keith. You need to see him and see if you still feel this way after being around him for longer than five minutes in passing in the elevators."

I nodded, "I know I know...But when I did try to insinuate seeing him again, he froze up and ducked out in an instant. What if he doesn't want to see me?" I felt a pang in my chest at the thought.

"You can't think like that Lance. If what you told me is true, I'm sure he wants to see you as much as you want to see him," We rounded the corner slowly, the front of the building coming into view and the impending sense of doom that it brought, "But you gotta bite the bullet dude. Maybe ask Miss. Cho what apartment he lives in?"

I looked at Hunk and raised an eyebrow. He glanced down at me and cringed, "Yeah, you right."

I sighed and looked up toward the entrance, just in time to see the tail end of a black car pull into the parking lot.

* * *

**Keith POV**

_We are pulling in. Open the door when we knock or I will sick Curtis on you, and he's worried SICK._  
From: Shiro 1:56PM

I rolled by eyes and flopped back onto my bed, closing my eyes and reveling in my last few moments of peace. Sometimes Shiro was to much.

Don't get me wrong, he's my brother and I love him more than anything in this world, but he was over baring at points, especially at work. I'll be putting on my flight suit to go into the G simulator and he'll come barreling in to make sure I have everything on correctly and that I know exactly what I'm doing and tell me that I shouldn't be scared and everything will be okay. I understand that he got into an accident, and that he has every right to be worried, but it was a bit much at times. There was a reason they chose me to be part of the exploration research team despite my dynamic, and that reason was I was good at what I did. Though they wouldn't let me go into space at the moment due to not only my age but the physical problems Omegas risk by going; Coran and Alfor wanted me to be 100% certain before they sent me up...

I turned my head to look toward the window, silently praising myself for choosing to keep it open slightly. The breeze felt nice, and it carried enough fresh air to clear up a mind clouded with the images of intense blue eyes and tan skin.

I groaned and reached up to grab my pillow, pulling it to my face and letting out a muffled scream. I needed to face the facts that I wanted to see Lance more than anything right now. I needed to own up to wanting to feel his arm around me again, pulling me closer to his warmth and feeling us fit together like a puzzle. I needed to read more into fated pairs and what they meant and what they were. Because if the signs all point to the same conclusion, there's not much I can do about it. 

I heard a dull knocking from the front of the apartment, making me sit up and toss the pillow back toward the headboard. Well, I suppose it was now or never.

* * *

**Lance POV **

I knew that fucking car looked familiar.

Hunk had needed to grab something out of his truck, so as we rounded the small corner to the parking lot, the black Mercedes stood out almost instantly around the rest of the older models around it. Hunk and I both stopped and gaped at each other as we watched two men, one with tan skin and glasses and the other with dark skin and a gentle face, step out of the back and passenger seats, before a head of white hair stood from the drivers seat, "Curtis, babe, stop being so anxious."

The tan man scoffed and I heard him say, "Seriously Shiro? That's the pot calling the kettle black."

Hunk and I quickly turned to each other as our suspicions were confirmed. Why was Shiro here?

Shiro only gave the other man a small pout before turning slightly, almost instantly locking eyes with me and mirroring the shocked expression I knew must have been all over my face. His hand froze on the car door, and his companions must have noticed his state because they both gave him puzzled looks before following his gaze to us, "Uh, do you know them Takeshi?" 

The mans voice must have snapped Shiro out of his funk, because the white haired man blinked and gave us confused looks, "Lance, Hunk, wha...what are you both doing here?"

I was still in a state of shock until I felt a sharp elbow in my side, making me jump and realize I had been asked a question, "Oh uh, I live in this building," I motioned to the apartments with my thumb, "Hunk pretty much lives here too with how much he's here. What about you?"

Shiro had stepped out from behind his car, still wearing the same dress pants he had been during our interview but he had ditched the jacket and the tie and was only in a black button down that was pulled across wide shoulders, the top few buttons undone to give him a more relaxed appearance. The tan man trailed behind Shiro closely, giving us skeptical looks, the dark skinned man just stood by the back doors, and while he didn't look quite as questioning as the other, still looked genuinely confused. 

"My little brother lives here as well. He isn't feeling well so we came to visit him," Shiro turned to the two men and gave them a small smile, "Adam, Curtis - these are Lance and Hunk. They go to Altea University and are part of the Garrison internship program! I got to meet them today when I went to the school to pick up some documents and meet with the candidates." Shiro motioned to the two men, "These are Adam and Curtis. They're both my partners and mates, as well as they both work at the Garrison in the control room and in the exploration research divisions." 

Adam and Curtis both swelled with pride and gave us small smiles, coming to the conclusion that we weren't threats and visibly relaxing. I gave them a smile in return as the three stepped closer to us, "That's amazing! Really, it's been my dream to work at the Garrison for as far as I can remember."

I saw Shiro give a small smirk out of the corner of my eye and it sent small twinges of excitement down my spine, like he knew something that I didn't about the program. But I wasn't going to let myself get to excited just in case things didn't end up going the way that I hoped they would, "So you're here to see your brother? What floor is he on? We can catch an elevator with you."

Shiro smiled and nodded, "Totally. He's on the third floor. Let's hope he actually answers the door," I heard Curtis give a small chuckle, "He's a little moody at times and doesn't like to answer. Even though I texted him and told him to, I'll still probably have to bribe him with another sweatshirt or something." The three older men began walking toward the front of the building, Hunk and I mingling in when they caught up to our location. Adam looked over at Shiro and raised an eyebrow, "Does he still have the one you bribed him with to fill out the Garrison application? The one with the hippo or whatever it was?"

My brain didn't process Adams words until we were ascending the stairs up to the front doors, and even then, it took me another moment to put the pieces of what he said together. I stayed quiet for a moment while picturing Keith - his smaller frame draped with a much larger hoodie and the white outline of a hippo contrasting against the black fabric. It was a coincidence, it must have been. There could have been another person with a hippo sweatshirt who lived on the third floor besides Keith...right?

I heard Shiro let out a laugh as he held the door open for us; Adam paused slightly when he entered and Shiro let go of the door to wrap his arm around his partners shoulder, Curtis also waiting to lace his fingers through Shiro's unoccupied hand, "I think he does actually! I thought I saw it slung over a chair the last time I was here," I heard someone 'hmm' slightly as we passed Miss. Cho's desk and approached the elevator, "What should I bribe Keith with this time? A sweatshirt or a new conspiracy documentary?"

My finger froze on the call button when Shiro said his name, and I could feel Hunk looking at me with worried eyes - he realized it as well. Shiro was Keiths older brother, and he was here to see Keith. Keith's older brother was the the one deciding if I got to fulfill my dream or not. And possibly the realization running around my brain the most, was that Shiro was my ticket to seeing Keith again. I swallow the lump in my throat before pressing the button and letting out a long shaky breath; anything Shiro was saying now was being drowned out by the sound of my heart beat in my ears. The only thing making sense to me right now was the near constant repetition of _KEITH_ running rampant in my mind. I barely felt Hunk nudge me into the now open elevator and saw Shiro reach out and press the button for the third floor. 

I had to think fast. I had to think of a way to see Keith. I couldn't let this opportunity pass me by. My inner Alpha was in full panic mode, urging me to do something - do _anything_ at this point. How was I gonna - 

"So Shiro, Adam said something about your brother applying for the Garrison? Did he apply for the internship like us?" 

Hunks voice cut through the panicked thoughts and I looked up at him in shock. What was he doing?

Shiro looked at him in surprise before shaking his head, "Nope, he applied directly. He didn't go to college but he was," he paused to think about his words, "a prodigy? I think that's how Coran described him. We visited Keiths school one day with the flight simulator and he flew it perfectly on the first try. So as soon as he turned 19, the head of the Garrison personally offered him a job. He's technically just a part of the research team right now though - they don't wanna send him up quite yet." Hunk nodded and sent me a look as Shiro continued, "Actually, Keith is about the same age as you guys. And he always needs more social interaction, why don't you guys come by for a second? Ask him some questions about working at the Garrison!"

* * *

**Keiths POV**

I do believe in something like past lives. I believed that your inner consciousness has lived a multitude of lives and when you experience dejavu, it's actually something that you did in a previous life. And because of these beliefs, I also believe in karma - and in one of my past lives, I must have been an absolutely horrible person because when I opened my door expecting to see my brothers dopey, yet concerned face, I fully realized how much of a bitch karma truly was. 

I saw Hunk before I saw anything else; he was standing behind Adam and had almost a pained expression on his face. I met his eyes and he gave me an apologetic nod, silently telling me that he was sorry for the intrusion. My gaze traveled to the left of Hunk, where even though I knew he was going to be standing, I hoped that I wouldn't meet the pair of blue eyes that had been plaguing me night and day. But low and behold, karma decided to punch me in the face once again. 

Lance was almost _to_ stiff. He was visibly uncomfortable as he awkwardly shifted from side to side, his head angled to the side in an attempt not to look any where in my direction. His hair was a little messy and he wore just a simple white v-neck under a blue flannel with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, showing off tan arms that looked like they could hold me down and have their way with me and I would have no prob- 

I shut down those thoughts instantly when I felt the heat bloom in my cheeks. 

"Keith! Are you okay? Shiro said you were sick and couldn't come to dinner!" Curtis let go of Shiros hand and swept me into a tight hug, pulling my head into his chest and rest his cheek on the top of my hair. I blinked and looked toward the others standing at the door; Shiro was standing still with his arm around Adams shoulder and a smile on his face, while Hunk still stood in the back, though his head was turned toward Lance and was seemly try to calm the Alpha. Lance had finally looked toward my direction and as if was possible, looked more stiff. Our eyes locked for a split second and I felt the heat bloom across my body once more. Blue eyes were intense as they scanned over my figure, stopping for a moment to glare at where Curtis still had his arms wrapped around me. I could see Hunk place a hand on Lance's shoulder, and it must of snapped the Alpha out of his funk, because he tore his gaze away from me and looked at the larger man.

"I hope you don't mind Keith, but I ran into these two in the parking lot. This is Lance and Hunk, " Shiro motioned toward the two men as Curtis released me from his hold, "They go to Altea University and applied for the Garrison Internship! So since you are all about the same age as well as live in the same building, I wanted to introduce them to you! I can understand about not letting them into your home but I still wanted to introduce them."

Leave it to Shiro to bring, what he _thought, _were strangers to my apartment and see almost no issue with it. I glanced at my brother and nodded, "Um...I've r-ran into Lance in the lobby before, so we've...kinda met."

I could feel the Alphas eyes on me almost instantly and it took all my will power not to look at him, scared that any emotion splayed across my face would give away my feelings toward the Alpha. This is not the way I wanted this to happen. This is not the way I wanted to see Lance again. I could feel myself begin to get lightheaded and dizzy, the only thing keeping me relatively steady was the fact Curtis was still standing so close. I took a deep inhale of air and tried to calm my Omega side down, the internal keening for the Alpha almost becoming to much; the sheer _want _to have Lance wrap his arms around my body and hold me until the end of time, and to claim me has his own. The thought almost made me fucking_ purr_. 

Adam and Curtis must have noticed the sudden rush of pheromones I was admitting because before I knew anything, the two were by my sides pulling me into the apartment, stopping only for a moment to turn to Shiro slightly, giving him a pointed look. My brother only nodded before turning to Hunk, but I didn't hear anything he said because my attention was focused on the blue eyed Alpha, who was currently looking back at me with a pained expression - it almost seemed like he was shaking slightly, trying to fight his body from moving forward. I sent him a quick pleading look before quickly mouthing a desperate '_Please come back' , _hoping he understood. His eyes widened in shock before giving me a quick whisper of a nod, the door blocking my view of anything else he expressed.

The two older Omegas walked me to the sofa, sitting down on each side before turning to Shiro once again, "Takeshi, can you get him some water? I don't think he's feeling well at all."

After he stepped away, Curtis turned to me with a raised eyebrow, "So...I'm assuming that's the pharmacy Alpha?"

I groaned and nodded slightly, resting my elbows on my knees and putting my head in my hands, still trying to calm my racing heart and ignore the warm thrumming that was spreading across my skin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I made Shiro a little oblivious is this chapter and I'm not sure if I liked it...for what I wanted to happen, I kinda had to make him be like that though.
> 
> Let me know what you thought of this chapter! The next one should be a big one, both in size and plot point!


	8. I Was Thinking the Worst

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Small bit of Keith POV at the beginning, then is mostly in Lance POV.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just as a FAIR WARNING - This is the last chapter without some sort of explicit content. This story was also tagged with eventual smut so it shouldn't come as a surprise honestly. But, just in case it's not your cup of tea, here is a warning that this stories rating is changing to explicit. 
> 
> For those of you who do not want to read that kind of material, thank you for reading thus far <3 I will be posting some cute fluffy stories after this one is done so be sure to check them out! And for those of you who are beyond ready for the meat of the story, BE PREPARED *scar voice*

**Keith POV**

It took about an hour to convince Shiro I wasn't going to die. Every time I would get him heading toward the door, he would find some excuse to worm his way back into the living room or the kitchen. It took me finally telling him that I would call him ASAP if I began to feel bad again before he stepped out of the apartment, Adam and Curtis following closely behind him. Before I closed the door, Adam turned and gave me a knowing look.

"Keith. Please be careful around Lance. I can tell you obviously care about him in someway, but please be smart about it. You're an unpaired Omega who is having strange reactions around him, and there is no telling what he would do," he paused and gave me a sad smile, "I'm not saying stay away from him. I'm just saying be careful when you're around him."

I looked up at the older Omega and nodded slightly, letting the words run through my brain a thousand times. He did have a point - I was unpaired, and obviously since meeting Lance, my heat has been messed up and I'm feeling the full effects of his pheromones. He was a young Alpha, and for all I knew, he could be a total player and I was his next conquest. The thought left a bad taste in my mouth, and I could feel a twinge in my chest, like something had a hold of my heart in vice grip. The "feelings" I had for Lance could honestly just be something instinctual, something we couldn't control. It could just be he was there when I needed help and my Omega side feels the need to return the favor, to help him in some way. It could be something as simple as I thought he was attractive and smelled good, so my body was reacting the way it thinks it should. 

It could truly be nothing special.

And if that was the case, why did the thought make me so sad?

* * *

**Lance POV**

'_Please come back.'_

The mental image of Keith mouthing the words was going to be engraved into my brain for the rest of my life. The scared look in those violet eyes was going to haunt me, as every time the vision ran through my mind, my inner Alpha kicked me for leaving him in the first place. He was obviously not feeling well, and I wanted nothing more than to pull him close to me and let him know that everything was going to be okay. I know Keith is in no way a damsel in distress, but there was just something about him that made me want to be near him and let him know that someone can be there for him.

I sighed and flopped back against my pillow, boring holes into my ceiling in an attempt to distract my mind - but failing miserably when more images of Keith danced their way around my brain. I groaned and grabbed another pillow, bringing the soft material to my face and letting out a muffled yell. Once I stopped, a sudden weight on top of my legs made me release another groan, pulling the pillow away only to be met with a furry snout smiling back at me.

"Kaltenecker, buddy you know I love you but you weigh a ton and now I can't feel my legs. Please get off?"

The large dog just looked at me and cocked his head. _This dog..._

I had gone to the animal shelter with Veronica to look at cats for her when I found him. I had been walking by his pen when a paw the size of my face suddenly shot out and sent me flying to the floor; when I looked up to see what had tripped me, I was met face to face with a _very large_ Tibetan Mastiff with black and white fur. A shelter employee who had seen me fall ran over and began apologizing, telling me that the dog was usually well tempered but he would occasionally try and mess with the people visiting the shelter. I only smiled and told her it was okay, looking back at the dog who was staring back at me with equal intensity. That, or he was bored. One of the two.

The employee suddenly became sad as she told me his story. Apparently, his original owners didn't expect him to get quite as big as he was and couldn't handle the up keep and care he required, so they gave him to the shelter and he had been here ever since. People didn't really seem to have an interest in him due to his size and because of that he had been in the shelter for almost 7 months. By the end of her story, I was almost in tears and reached my hand through the bars of his pen, running my hand along his thick fur and trying to keep my voice level as I told the employee to get me his papers and that he was coming home with me. 

I pretty sure I made her cry too. 

Oh, and Veronica as I walked back back into the lobby of the shelter with a dog the size of a small horse happily trotting next to me. That was a great car ride home.

Since then, Kaltenecker had lived happily with me and gave me all the love that a 2 year old giant fluff ball could, and I gave him the same in return. 

I sighed and reached forward to pat him of the top of his head, "What do you think I should do buddy? Should I actually try and go back to his place?"

Kaltenecker just let out a quiet '_buf' _before tilting his head up to give my hand a small lick. I frowned and felt my brows furrow slightly - what would be the harm anyway? He did tell me to come back so obviously he wants to talk to me. But what if he only said because he wasn't feeling well and not in his right mind? What if he didn't want to see me at all? What if-

A loud bark broke me from my silent spiral and I jolted upward. The dog just looked at me and in a way, I could tell he was telling me to get off my lazy ass and go back to Keith's and try to figure out what the hell was going on between us. Because there certainly was something going on, neither one of us could deny it with the way we just acted around each other. I took a deep breath in and tried to pull myself together, pulling my shoulders back and holding my head high.

I needed to figure this out. Not only for my sake, but for Keith as well.

* * *

I waited another hour or so before peaking out my window that over looked the parking lot, scanning for the now familiar black Mercedes. My eyes paused for a moment on the bike parked in the back, small sparks running up my arms. I double, then triple, checked that Shiros car was gone before standing straight again and walking to the mirror hanging on my wall to give myself a once over, fixing a few stray pieces of hair and internally hyping myself up to possibly make the biggest fool of myself for thinking that there could possibly be something more between Keith and I. I turned back to Kaltenecker, who was still lounging on the bed, and held out my arms, "Well buddy, how do I look?"

He just cocked his head to one side and made a small noise, his tail wagging slightly. 

"I'll take that as a positive." I looked toward my door and mumbled a quiet 'wish me luck' more to myself than anyone. I quickly moved around the apartment and grabbed my phone and house key, jamming them in my pockets and exiting before I could talk myself out of what I was about to do. The walk to the elevator seemed to be miles instead of mere feet, and the ride itself seemed to last for eons before the doors finally opened to the floor just below mine. I stepped out and began to scan the doors, repeating Keith's apartment number in my brain, '_13B...13B...13B...'_

When I saw it, I paused and raised an eyebrow as I looked back at the elevator and back to the door. How did I not notice when I came here with Shiro? Keith lived almost directly under me if I'm remembering the layout of everything correctly. That might explain why I kept smelling the scent of flowers - I just thought that the person was super into gardening. Guess not.

I swallowed the large lump in my throat as I walked up the door and raised my fist to knock slightly- moments passed and no answer. I raised a brow and knocked again, this time hearing a small shuffle inside followed by a dull thump.

"Shiro, I told you I was fine now would you please-" The door began to open, reveling a tired looking Keith, but as soon as his eyes landed on me, his words were cut off and his eyes went wide, "L-Lance...What are you...why're you here?"

I raised a hand to rub at the back of my neck and let out a small, shaky laugh, attempting to keep up the confident Alpha act, "You asked me to come back, remember?"

I saw a pink blush creep across the bridge of his nose as he must have remembered, his eyes raking over my frame for a moment before snapping up to meet mine again, "I guess I did, didn't I?"

"Yup."

I tried to keep my eyes on him, refusing to be the one who looked away first. He brought his hands together and began to fidget with his fingers, breaking eye contact to look down at them, "Would uh...would you like to come in? Sorry it's kind of a mess. I haven't really gotten the chance to clean the past week or two." He moved slightly to the side, opening up a line of sight into his home. I took a deep breath and stepped forward, gazing past the Omega and feeling my shoulder brush his slightly. 

I swore I heard him gasp, but it may have been my mind playing tricks on me. 

As I stepped deeper into his home, I couldn't help the small smile that came across my face. He wasn't joking when he said he hadn't cleaned, but it wasn't dirty or gross...the clutter almost made it feel even more homey, and it gave me a insight of what Keith was really like. Hoodies and sweatshirts were littered all over the place, hanging off the back of almost every chair and a large collection scattered all over the couches. Scattered pictures were on the walls, some of them actual photos of what I'm presuming where family through the years, especially the one of Shiro, Adam and Curtis all standing in front of the Garrison; others were posters for different conspiracy movies and documentaries. 

Suddenly Shiro's comment of, "_Should I get him a new sweatshirt or documentary?"_ made A LOT more sense.

The apartment was all around nice, and it smelled like Keith.

I heard the door close softly and I turned back to look at the violet eyed Omega, who was still tucked into the corner looking everywhere but at me, "Keith?"

He jumped and his eyes met mine, his face turning red as he began to fumble with his hands again. I took a moment to examine him and I couldn't help my smile again as he noted the cartoon Mothman hoodie he was wearing, "So Mothman, huh? Never was really a believer in that one. Not enough solid proof for me." 

Keith's face instantly morphed from shy and uncertain, to utter disbelief without missing a beat, "Not enough proof?? There is proof all over the place! How can you not believe?"

I could feel my smile grow, "It's only ever been blurry photos and reported sighting from half crazy guys in the woods, " I crossed my arms and sent him a challenging look, "Not enough if you ask me. Besides, how could it exist and no one has ever gotten a solid video or photo?"

"There has been solid photos! This guy in Wyoming got a full body photo outside his property last month, it's total proof!"

"Have you seen the photo yourself?"

He put his hands on his hips and sent me a look that I could almost describe as a glare, but a light smirk played on his lips, "Of course I have."

He walked toward the living room and grabbed a laptop off the floor, flipping it open before beginning his search for the picture. He sat down on the couch and I followed his lead by moving into the room and taking my place in a soft looking chair next to him. I leaned in slightly to see what he was doing and caught a small hint of the rose smell that had been driving me crazy, and I felt my inner Alpha keen at the scent, wanting more. But I shook the feeling away. I couldn't be that way right now, not with Keith being so close to me and being as absolutely fucking cute as he was being. 

"See? Total proof!" He turned the laptop to me and all I saw was a photo with the contrast turned all the way up to show a medium sized outline of something and a set of eyes reflecting some kind of light. It honestly just looked like a big bird. I blinked at the picture and then glanced back at Keith, "It...it looks like a big bird. Maybe an owl or something."

His face went red and it almost seemed like he was puffing out his cheeks in a pout, but he set the laptop down on the coffee table and stood, walking over to a small bookshelf covered in half open DVD containers and random little items. He rummaged for a second and seeming found what he was looking for fairly quick, turning back toward me and holding up a disk, "You want proof? I got more!"

I raised an eyebrow as he crossed the short distance to the TV, turning on his system and putting in the disk. Once sound played from the speakers, he quickly made his way back to the couch, flopping back and crossing his arms with a smug look on his face. I couldn't stop myself from look at him, admiring the small details of his face - the slight upturn of his nose, or the way his eyelashes hit his cheeks when he blinked because they were so long. Keith was beautiful and there was no denying it. I have thought he was beautiful since the day I met him at the pharmacy, and that honestly feels like more than just a week and a half ago. I felt myself smile once more at the memory of how he looked at me that first time. He was so scared but at the same time, as soon as our eyes met, it was like someone lit a fire in him and he began to glow. 

He must have noticed me looking at him, because he turned in my direction and frowned, "Lance! You're totally gonna miss the opening!"

I couldn't help the small laugh that escaped me and I put my hands up in front of me, "Sorry, I promise I'll pay attention. What is it anyways?"

The smile that overtook his face made my heart skip a beat, "Finding Mothman! It's my favorite and it's got a lot of great evidence!"

This was going to be harder than I thought. 

* * *

An hour a half later, the credits began to roll up the screen and I lazily blinked away the slight drowsy feeling that had set in about forty minutes into the movie. I glanced over to Keith and found him looking at me excitedly, his eyes wide and his mouth pulled into a large smile, "Well?? How was that for proof!"

To be honest I couldn't remember half of it and the other half I spent day dreaming about Keith.

"I gotta say, I think I have my mind made up and you sir, have convinced me that it was the right choice."

You would have thought that his smile couldn't have gotten any larger, but it did. But while Keith must have thought he had converted me into believing in Mothman (which I still didn't by the way), what I meant by my statement was about something completely different. 

I smiled back and stretched my arms upward, a long yawn pulled from my lungs. When I lowered them back down, my arm unconsciously rested along the top of the chair; my fingers brushed the couch where he was sitting and were almost touching him in the process. I looked over at the raven haired man and found him staring back at me with a kind expression. 

“Thanks for watching that with me, Lance...I know I kinda didn’t give you a choice in the matter but you could’ve said you didn’t want to. No one ever really wants to watch these with me cause they think they're cheesy and kinda dumb. My friend Pidge only watches them with me when she's slightly drunk, because there is 'no scientific explanation' and 'sober Pidge could never subjugate herself to that'." As he talked, his features morphed into a look of slight sadness. Kieth looked down slightly and didn't say anything past what he already had; I could sense the shift in his mood from his pheromones - it almost turned the rose scent into something darker, still floral like but not quite what it should be. I felt a pang deep in my chest and the Alpha in me wanted to pull him close to me and hold him until he either pushed me away or fell asleep in my arms. 

"If you want..." he glanced up at my words, "If you want, they may not be my cup of tea, but I could watch them with you if you want? I'm always down for a movie and Hunk usually only wants to watch some kind of rom-com. So, I mean if you want..." I trailed my sentence off, studying his reaction. He looked up at me in shock, "R-really?"

I nodded and opened my mouth to speak again, but the sight of Keith smiling brightly with pink tinged cheeks and slightly crinkled eyes made my heart race and the words die in my throat. Red played on the edge of my vision, thoughts running through my mind of pinning the Omega in front of me down on the couch and marking the beautiful pale skin with deep marks, the kind that would never fade. I wanted to make Keith mine - no one else could have him. No one would ever be aloud to touch him, no one would hurt him. He would be mine. 

Mine. 

"Lan-"

_MINE_. 

"Lance!"

Warm hands on either of my cheeks pulled me out of my spiral, shocking my eyes into looking upward and seeing Keith now standing in front of me with a very concerned expression. His cheeks were flushed and he was breathing deeply, like he was trying to calm himself down as well. The dynamic instinct inside me told every fiber of my being to make this man mine, but the small semi-rational side of my brain was keeping me rooted in my spot. The Omega was still holding my face in his hands, the soft skin contrasting against my own, and I could feel him lift my head slightly to make my eyes meet his. Pools of violet swirled with the small amount of light coming from the window to the right of us, making them almost glow in the dim light. My hands shakily rose to cover Keith's, gripping slightly and holding him in place as I rose from the chair and finally stood in front of him. We still held eye contact, but his lids slowly began to droop as he relaxed into my hold, deep color beginning to flood into his cheeks once again; I could feel the ghost of a thumb gently caress my face. I wanted him closer.

"Lance...I uh..."

He tried to form a sentence but the words died into almost a whine as I squeezed his hands once more before letting them go, quickly moving them down his arms to wrap under and pull him to me, holding him directly into my chest. I buried my face into his neck and took a deep breath, inhaling the rose scent that was getting stronger by the moment. I felt hands hesitantly wrap around my shoulders, soft fingers running up and down my back as far as he could reach. He was shaking, and every time I would breathe out it would rip another gasp from him - and the noises were like music to my ears. The Alpha inside was urging me to just sink my teeth into the pale flesh and make this beautiful creature my own. 

I growled slightly and gripped the fabric of Keith's sweatshirt, fighting against the urge and the temptation in front of me. 

I felt hands go to my hair and gently run themselves through, fingers massaging my scalp and calming the raging inside my brain, "L-Lance..."

I pulled my face away from Keith's neck and uncoiled my arms around him, pushing him back slightly and taking a step back, rationality slowly returning. I was breathing heavily and when I looked back at the Omega, I could tell he was doing the same. Blown pupils almost blended with the violet, half lidded and half hidden by thick lashes. Thick pheromones filled the room, mixing two scents to fill the space with a smell I could only describe as intoxicating. 

"Keith." My voice was rough and didn't even sound like it should be coming from my mouth, "Keith..I want-I want to get to know you. Please, Gods please, don't run from me again. Please...I don't know why but my heads been filled with nothing but you since I fucking met you. It's fucking terrifying and I don't know how to handle anything like this. Gods Keith, I thought the worst and didn't know when I would see you. Please..."

He just stared back at me, staying silent.

Fuck. I just fucked everything up. I just ruined any chance I had to get to know him and now every things going to be awkward and I'll never be able to redeem myself and-

"Okay."

Once again, he snapped me out of my spiral. I looked at him and could feel my eyes go wide, "W-what?"

He swallowed and took a deep breath, "I said...okay. I'll get to know you. I uh...I've felt the same way. And when you showed up with Shiro today, I was so happy. I was scared too but..." He trailed off as I brought my hand to his cheek and pulled him forward slightly, making our noses bump together. He pulled away slightly and looked down, "L-Lance, maybe we should ya know..talk?"

I blinked and pulled my hand away from his face, taking a step back and nodding, "Yeah! Of course! Sorry about that..."

I sat down, my arms stretched out on the back of the couch and sighed. I felt the seat next to me dip slightly and I looked over to see that Keith had sat next me, not quite close enough to feel any kind of body heat, but close enough that I could awkwardly wrap an arm around his shoulders if I wanted to. We sat in silence for a moment before he spoke,

"So...what are your thoughts on aliens?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to thank everyone and their sweet and kind comments on this story! I truly makes my day every time I get a new one and honestly, they make me want to keep writing. They make me so happy that people actually enjoy this! So once again, thank you all so much! From the bottom of my heart!
> 
> Pidge will actually be introduced in the next chapter. Lance and Keith "get to know" each other even more <3 So stay tuned!

**Author's Note:**

> Well? Any thoughts? Let me know if you want me to continue posting in this story!


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